.IS 


li 


^r 


1: 


PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


^^». 


BV    772    .P38 

The  path  to  wealth 


-'T*— -  -'-T' 


*-        ,^- 


THE  AUTHOR. 


MAY  14   1948 


mtmtk  to  mmimiLJs!^ 


OR, 


LIQHT  KROM  MY  KORQE. 


A  DISCUSSION  OF  GOD'S  MONEY  LAWS. 

THE  RELATION  BETWEEN  GIVING  AND  GETTING. 

CASH  AND  CHRISTIANITY. 

BY 

A  BLACKSMITH. 


ADDITIONAL  PAPERS  ON  SYSTEMATIC   BENEFICENCE,  WRITTEN 
ESPECIALLY  FOR  THIS  WORK, 


Rev.  E.  C.  B.  HALLAM. 

Rev.  F.  R.  BE  A  TTIE,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Rev.  R.  W.  WOODSWORTH. 

Rev.  yOHN  POLLARD,  D.  D. 

Rev.  WM.  TAYLOR,  Bishop  of  Africa. 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

Rev.  J.  H.  VINCENT,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  M.  E.  Church, 
Chancellor  of  ChatUauqua  College  of  Liberal  Arts,  etc, 

B.  F.  JOHNSON  &  CO., 

RICHMOND,  VA. 


Copyrighted  by 
B.  F.  Johnson  &  Co. 


CONTENTS. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 
God's  Money  IvAW — Revealed  in  the  Bible  and  nature — Neg- 
lected by  average  Christian — Give  and  get,  keep  and  lose — 
Sad  ignorance  of  the  people — Clearness  of  the  Scriptures — 
God  guarantees  a  man's  financial  success — Solomon's  plan  for 
getting  rich — Piety  cultivated — Will  convert  the  world — Book 
for  busy  men — Characters  real — Experiences  true — Black- 
smith shop — Baptist  Church — "Talks  "  rather  than  chapters — 
Stenographically  reported 7-10 

INTRODUCTION 
By  Dr.  Vincent — Whirlpools  in  the  great  sea  of  society 
— Everything  centres  in  self — Social  cyclones — Selfishness  the 
root  of  all  personal  and  social  evil — "Perilous  times"  of 
"  the  last  days  " — Gardens  of  modern  civilization— Fountains 
imparting  new  life  and  strength — Evil  combinations  :  politi- 
cal, commercial  and  ecclesiastical — The  fountain-life  of  grace 
— One-sided  view^s  of  religious  life — Self-sacrifice — Awakening 
needed  on  the  subject  of  systematic,  conscientious,  spiritual 
and  worshipful  giving— Old  time  giving— Modern  giving — 
Business  aspects  of  the  subject — The  Church  ought  to  be  a 
model  for  society— Value  of  the  gift  depends  upon  the  motive 
of  the  giver 13-24 

TALK   No.   I. 

The    B1.ACKSMITH    Shop— Village    philosophers— Too    many 

collections — God's  books,  the  Bible  and  nature— Nature  shows 

the  need  of  benevolence — The   Bible   law— God's  mininmm 

demand— "  There  is  money  in  it"— Tithe  always  means  tenth 

(v) 


vi  Contents. 

— No  necessary  connection  between  poverty  and  piety — Ma- 
terial promises  of  the  Bible — Health  and  wealth  rewards  of 
tithing — Origin  of  tithe-giving — Abraham  and  Melchizedec — 
Jacob  at  Bethel — Jacob's  bargain  with  God — Jacob's  marvel- 
lous success — Laban  changes  Jacob's  wages  ten  times — Jacob 
became  rich  and  made  I^aban  rich — A  result  of  Jacob's  vow — 
God  takes  care  of  the  finances  of  His  children — God  com- 
mands all  men  to  pay  ten  per  cent. — When  the  Jews  obeyed 
they  prospered — Disobedience  brought  disaster — To  rob  God 
of  money  brings  punishment  in  kind — Vitality  of  the  Jews — 
Great  money  makers — This  tithing  command  binding  on 
Christians — God's  laws  are  eternal — Needs  of  the  Church 
greater  than  ever — She  goes  a-begging — Bazaars,  concerts,  lot- 
teries, etc. — Spasmodic  and  hap-hazard  benevolence — New 
Testament  sanction  of  the  Tithe 25-71 

TALK  No.  2. 
Who  Shoui<d  Tithe  ? — Increased  attendance  at  the  meeting — 
All  men  should  tithe — Objections— Fourteen  per  cent,  of  time, 
ten  per  cent,  of  income— Experience  proves  it  pays  to  obey — 
"There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth " — God's  tithe 
the  seed-money  of  wealth — "  He  that  soweth  sparingly  shall 
reap  sparingly  " — Christians  trust  a  Bank  with  their  money, 
but  doubt  God — Poor  men  should  pay  tithes— A  man  in  debt 
should  pay  tithes— Debt  a  curse— The  children  of  a  king  gen- 
erally well  off — Bad  economy  to  sell  seed- wheat  to  pay  debts 
— Rich  men  should  tithe  their  incomes— The  cry,  "wicked 
rich  men,"  good  poor  men — Paying  tithes  makes  God  a 
partner— Insurance  against  bankruptcy — Experience  of  a 
physician — God's  cause  suffering  for  lack  of  money — Ten  per 
cent,  of  income  would  supply  the  need — The  salvation  of  the 
world  reduced  to  a  question  of  money — Great  spiritual  impulse 
— Obedience  and  spiritual  enjoyment — Sentimental  consecra- 
tion—Start it  at  ten  per  cent,  in  cash— Tithers  generally 
spiritually  minded — Companionship  with  Jesus  .        .     73-1  ^  5 

TAIvK   No.  3. 
History  of  Tithing — Practised  by  heathens — Tradition  from 


Contents.  vii 

Eden — Abraham  found  the  practice  in  existence — Presuinption 
that  Cain  and  Abel  paid  a  tenth — Why  Jesus  said  no  more 
about  it — Paul's  rule — Writings  of  the  Fathers— Primitive 
Church  Councils — Tithing  introduced  into  England— Parish 
Church  Tithes — Variety  of  Tithes— Tithes  made  obnoxious  by 
the  State  Church — Why  other  Churches  have  neglected  the 
system — The  Pilgrim  Fathers — Christianity  of  America  and 
Canada — The  historic  Church  a  unit  in  saying  the  tenth  is  the 
Lord's — Advantage  of  tithing — Tithing  compared  to  sowing — 
— Investing  in  the  bank  of  Heaven— Systematizes  one's 
benevolence — Gives  a  man  strength  in  his  business — Compels 
one  to  keep  accounts  -  Draws  a  man  near  to  God      .     1 17-144 

TALK  No.  4- 
Objections  and  Questions— Great  interest  manifested— The 
motive  of  reward  should  not  be  appealed  to — God  does  it — 
Self-interest  a  powerful  motive  to  virtue— Children— Solomon, 
Jesus  and  Paul  urge  the  motive  to  give  for  the  sake  of  gain — 
Love  is  a  higher  motive — Should  one  take  out  his  living  ex- 
penses before  tithing? — How  can  a  farmer  tell  his  income? — 
Bad  debts— How  to  keep  the  tithe  account— vShould  a  minister 
pay  tithes  ? — Paupers — Indoor  servants— Property  that  has  not 
been  tithed— Pew  rents— Horse  sheds— Life  assurance — Earn- 
ings of  children— A  physician's  gratuitous  services  to  the  poor 
— Should  inherited  property  that  has  been  tithed  be  tithed 
again?— Should  income  from  capital  be  tithed?— Money  paid 
for  books— Ministerial  education  and  the  tithe  account— Was 
the  Jewish  Tithe  equivalent  to  our  municipal  taxes  ?— Is  not 
the  law  done  away  with  and  our  givings  left  to  the  free  will 
of  love  ?— Important  suggestions— Experience  meeting — Pub- 
lish a  book  .         .         .         ...         .        .     145-187 

TALK  No.  5. 
Testimonies  and  Experiences— Given  to  God  not  less  than 
ten  per  cent,  for  five  years — Have  had  more  left  for  myself 
than  before— Given  systematically  nine  years— Am  a  general 
merchant— Always  have  funds  on  hand— If  the  law  says  ten 
per  cent.,  love  ought  to  do  more — A  minister's  experience — 


viii  Contents, 

Given  a  tenth  since  September,  1883 — Commenced  when 
financially  oppressed— Brought  great  joy— Easy  finances — 
Adopted  tithing  system  seven  years  ago — My  income  has 
quadrupled  since — The  rich  ought  to  give  more  than  a  tenth — 
All  followers  of  Jesus  should  support  His  cause — Convinced 
some  years  ago  that  a  tenth  was  the  minimum — Did  not  then 
adopt  it — Financial  loss — Have  paid  a  tenth  for  two  years — 
Financial  affairs  in  better  condition  than  ever  before — A  farm- 
er's experience — A  warning — Gave  a  tenth  and  had  prosperit}' 
— People  said  I  was  crazy — Gave  it  up — A  long  list  of  failures 
followed — Adopted  it  again — Will  never  more  give  it  up — 
Commenced  to  pay  God  his  financial  claim  some  years  ago — 
Have  had  success  ever  since — For  four  years  I  have  paid  a 
tenth — Would  not  abandon  it — Giving  is  a  luxury — A  voice 
from  Novia  Scotia — I  am  a  general  merchant — Have  paid 
tithes  two  3^ears — M}^  business  has  doubled  since — Have  tithed 
for  a  few  months— When  I  withheld  a  tenth,  God  took  it  from 
me — A  stock  broker's  experience — Have  carried  out  the  rule 
for  years — Sometimes  have  doubled  the  amount — Love  and 
gratitude  to  Jesus — Experiences  of  two  Methodist  ministers — 
A  Baptist  minister's  experience — Twenty-five  years'  testimony 
— Bible  finance  in  India — A  young  lady's  experience — Salary 
raised  in  two  months — Experience  from  Calcutta,  India — In- 
crease of  salary — A  farmer  who  tithed,  saved  from  a  plague- 
Financial  victory  for  years — An  experience  from  the  Congre- 
gational Church^oy  in  giving — Plenty  to  give  with — Ex- 
perience of  a  young  lady  stenographer — The  same  old  story — 
Pleasure  and  profit— A  clergyman's  experience — Saves  from 
worry — The  nine-tenths  is  more  than  the  whole — Another 
farmer  heard  from — Experience  from  the  head-master  of  a 
school — A  shoemaker's  experience — Ten  years'  experience  of 
a  lady — Another  lady  testifies — An  extraordinary  testimony — 
Big  giving— Wonderful  spiritual  and  financial  reward — Closing 
remarks 189-233 

PAY  YOUR  DEBTS. 

BY  REV.   E.    C.    B.   HAI,I,AM. 

No  Giving  untii.  Debts  are  Paid— A  tenth  is  the  Lord's— 


Contents.  ix 

Many  Christians  withhold  it— Paying  not  giving— Three  kinds 
of  tithes— Two  annual  tithes,  one  triannual— Two  tithes  abol- 
ished—The  tithe  "  for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  "  still  bind- 
ing—Tithing prior  to  Judaism— God's  alphabet  of  self-denial- 
Christian  honesty  demands  its  payment— New  Testament  en- 
dorsation— Jesus— Paul— Moses  and  Paul  on  tithing— A  tenth 
stored  once  a  week— System  just  and  equitable— Tenth  mini- 
mum for  rich  and  poor— The  rich  should  "give  "  after  having 
"paid  "—Bible  finance—"  That  the  Lord  may  bless  thee"— 
lyittle  love  for  giving  means  little  likeness  to  God    .     235-251 


BIBLE   GIVING:     ITS  NATURE  AND   RULE- 

Introductory— Giving  to  rehgious  objects  important— Religion 
and  luxury— Money  needed  for  religion  at  home  and  abroad- 
Liberal  soul  made  fat— Delicacy  of  the  subject— Stewards- 
Early  experience— First  tea-meeting— Reform  needed— Di- 
vision of  the  subject — Nature  and  rule  of  giving       .     253-259 

Chapter  I.— Bibi.e  Giving  :  its  Nature. 
BIBI.E  for  teaching— Good  foundation  laid— Right  building 
on  it — Rock  v.  sand — Principles  and  their  application   261,262 

Section  I. — Bible  foundation. 
B1BI.E  OPENED— Cain  and  Abel— Noah  —Abraham— Mosaic  code 
—Three  classes  of  offerings— Those  for  permanent  religious 
service— Those  for  direct  support  of  priests— Those  for  altar 
offerings— Five  principles  involved  in  these  offerings— Owner- 
ship—Consecratiou—Firstfruits— Freewill— Representation  :— 
Tabernacle— Temple— Talmud— Kurtz— Spencer — Cases  quo- 
ted—Same principles  in  New  Testament— Ananias— Still 
binding  on  men— Hence  foundation  in  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments        262-301 

Section  II. — Applications. 
Average  Christian  community — Support  of  religious  teach- 
ers— Building    churches— Ancient,    mediaeval,    and    modern 
times— Church  debts  bad  continually— Unscriptural — Hurtful 
— Pew  rents  condemned — History  of  system — Unscriptural — 


X  Contents. 

Not  voluntary — Distinctions  between  rich  and  poor— Unequal 
— Indirect  modes  of  raising  money— Commercial :  Bazaar — 
Soiree — Social :  Concert  and  lecture — Lottery — Not  direct 
giving — Unscriptural — Often  wrong — End  does  not  justify 
the  means — Checks  liberality — Not  cheap,  but  dear — Costs 
far  more  than  direct  giving — Social  Church  life         .     301-345 

Chapter  II. — Bible  Giving:    its  RuIvE- 
Rule   needed.— in  the   dark — God's  word — Three  questions  : 
How  much  ? — Where  ? — When  ?  ....     347-348 

Section  I. — How  much  ? 

System  required — Hap-hazard  giving — All  should  give  a 
share— The  tithe — Ancient  rule — Older  than  Moses — Natural 
religion — Heathen  nations — In  New  Testament — Not  a  State 
tax — Rule  of  voluntary  giving— Advantages— Secures  system 
— Giving  intelligently — More  money  given— Brings  temporal 
blessing — Brings  spiritual  blessing  .         .         .     349-358 

Section  II. —  Where? 

Giving  a  religious  duty — An  act  of  worship— Mosaic  law 
proves — Temple  customs— New  Testament — Like  Christian 
Sabbath — All  offerings  made  at  church — Pastor's  salary — 
Mission  funds— Make  giving  divine  .         .        .     358-363 

Section  III—  When  ? 

At  religious  services  in  olden  time— New  Testament  first 
day  of  week — Hence  at  God's  house — Weekly  offering  system 
— No  pew  rent — All  voluntary — More  money  raised — Burden 
less  felt — Worthy  of  adoption  for  all  givings — Conclusion — 
Summary— Need  of  God's  Spirit  to  give  life  and  liber- 
ality          363-371 


THE  PROPERTY  TRUST. 

Chapter  I. 
Infinite  obligation  to  Christ— Love  the  constrainer— Holy 


Contents. 


XI 


Scriptures  full  aud  clear  on  the  subject— The  extent  of  our 
givings — The  Jewish  tithe— Of  ancient  origin — Adopted  by 
Moses— Perpetual  obligation— The  Sabbath  law— One-seventh 
of  time,  one-tenth  of  income— Violation  entails  loss— A  great 
demand  for  consecrated  property— Magnificent  chance  for 
saving  a  lost  world — Privilege,  another  word  for  duty— Pente- 
costal consecration — Sold  out  all  for  God — The  same  act  now 
would  make  a  stir— Pentecostal  baptism— Covetousness  the 
plague  of  the  Church— Selfishness  restrains  the  grace  of  God 
— Meagre  givings  of  Christians— The  honest  Jew  gave  at  least 
one-third — Giving,  a  moral  duty — One-tenth  the  minimum — 
Scene  at  the  erection  of  the  Tabernacle— Three  thousand  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  the  Temple— Should  a  man  in  debt  pay 
tithes  ? — Obedience  pays — God's  laws  made  in  our  interest — 
Secular  and  spiritual  advantages— It  pays  for  poor  men  to 
keep  God's  property  law — Disaster  follows  disobedience — An 
example — Wonderful  prosperity— One-tenth  of  all  things  the 
Ivord's 373-398 

Chapter  II. 

God's  ci.aim  on  the  pocket-book — Doing  business  for  God- 
Jehovah's  charge  to  His  people— All  wealth  from  God — Ability 
to  plan  from  God — "  Will  a  man  rob  God  ?  " — Church  finance 
requires  revision — No  success  without  sacrifice — Men  bear 
great  trouble  for  worldly  success — The  motive  of  the  Cross — 
"  I  gave  my  life  for  thee  " — Infinite  love  vs.  human  selfishness 
— Love  transforms  duty  into  luxury — Conquest  of  the  world 
for  God — Mammon  and  Christ — Investigate  this  property 
question — Blessedness  of  giving         ....     399-409 

Chapter  III. 

Divine  pledges  of  blessing — Penalties  of  disobedience- 
Distress  and  scarcity — Jehovah's  charge  of  robbery — God's 
challenge  to  prove  Him — Great  material  prosperity  promised 
to  tithers — Trust  first,  blessing  afterwards  —Tithes  demanded 
when  the  people  were  poor — Covetousness  punished— God's 
house  first— Much  sowing,  little  reaping — "A  bag  with  holes  " 


xii  Contents. 

— Drought  and  scarcity — For  refusing  two,  God  takes  twenty 
— Giving  always  the  condition  for  getting  .        .     41 1-4 17 


GIVING  AND  E.ECEIVING. 

More  bi^ksskd  to  give  than  to  receive — Who  believes 
that? — All  acts  of  receiving  must  precede  all  giving  in  the 
highest  sense — The  fountain  is  pure,  and  sparkling,  and  at- 
tractive— The  sewer  dark,  filthy,  and  repulsive — The  fountain 
gives,  and  the  sewer  receives — God  has  promised  much  to 
giving,  nothing  to  receiving — Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you — Receiving  has  no  recompense  in  the  next  world,  and 
giving  has  419-431 


THE  TITHE. 

Human  right  to  six  days  per  week— God's  right  to  the 
seventh — God  reserves  the  tenth  of  all  net  proceeds  for  pur- 
poses of  mercy — Uses  man  as  disbursing  agent — Mental  ap- 
petence for  property — Right  to  accumulate  and  hold  property — 
Varieties  of  value — "Will  a  man  rob  God?" — What  is  the 
penalty? — "The  devourer "—Pharisee  and  Publican — The 
tithes  should  be  promptly  "  laid  by  in  store  "    .        .    433-440 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Frontispiece            ....•••  2 

Bishop  J.  H.  Vincent 12 

How  THE  Talks  Began 26 

The  Shoemaker 27 

The  Blacksmith 29 

The  Scene  of  Jacob's  Tithe  Vow     ...  39 

Jacob  and  Laban 41 

Moses  and  the  Law 44 

Sir    Moses    Montefiore,    the   Jewish    Philan- 
thropist          55 

The  Publican 65 

Hon.  John  McDonald 72 

The  Sower 81 

General  Gordon 102 

The  Missionary 104 

Rich  Pharisee  going  with  his  Tithes  to  the 

Priest           . 121 

Laying  Aside  the  Lord's  Portion     .         .         .125 

English  Tithes,  Twelfth  Century            .         .  127 

Farmer  Posting  his  Books          .         .         .         .  15^ 

(xiii) 


XIV 


List  of  Illustrations, 


George  Peabody 

The  Protested  Note 

God's  Treasury 

The  Hindoo  who  gave  Tithes 

''There  is  a  Lad  here  which  has  Five  Barley 

Loaves  and  Two  Small  Fishes 
Charles  Spurgeon 
Priest  Offering  Sacrifice 
Peter  Cooper 

Old-Fashioned  Tea-Drinking 
Matthew  Vassar 
Hebrew  Bringing  First-Fruits 
Epaphroditus  Bringing  Gifts  to  Paul 
The  Log  Church        .... 

Renting  Pews 

Cake  Voting 

Rejecting  Meat  Offered  to  Idols 
St.  Paul  Writing       .... 
The  Envelope  System 
Miss  Angela  Georgina  Burdett  Coutts 
Burning  the  Note      .... 
Gold  Digger 


PAGE 
179 
208 

238 
249 

260 

277 

332 

337 
361 
366 

369 
396 
404 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


This  book  is  written  in  the  interests  of 
God's  money  law.  This  law  is  cleariy  re- 
vealed in  the  Bible  and  is  plainl}^  manifest  in 
nature.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  either  entirely 
neglected  or  manifestly  misunderstood  by  the 
average  Christian.  It  is  evident,  so  much  so 
*'  that  he  who  runs  ma}^  read,"  that  God  has 
constituted  nature  and  grace  according  to  the 
principle  that  the  wa}^  to  get  is  to  give,  and  the 
way  to  lose  is  to  keep.  Most  men,  however, 
shut  their  eyes  and  will  not  see  this  great 
truth. 

The  lack  of  a  knowledge  of  God's  monetary 
demands  upon  the  people  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  bearing  of  these  demands  upon  our  finan- 
cial success  on  the  other  hand,  is  simply  amaz- 
ing, in  view  of  the  clearness  of  the  teachings 
of  Holy  Scripture,  and  in  view  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  subject.    I  trust  the  pulpit  will  not 

(7J 


8  Author's  Preface. 

come  in  for  the  largest  share  of  the  blame  for 
this  ignorance. 

It  is  a  matter  of  certainty  to  me  that  a  prime 
condition  for  the  financial  success  of  the  indi- 
vidual is  in  giving  to  God  the  amount  He  de- 
mands ;  or,  to  put  it  stronger,  God  pledges 
Himself  for  the  financial  success  of  that  indi- 
vidual who  renders  obedience  to  the  Divine 
money  claim ;  and  hence  the  title  of  this  book 
is  given  in  no  figurative  or  secondary  sense, 
for  an  infallible  answer  to  the  question,  *'  How 
to  acquire  wealth?"  is,  "Bring  all  the  tithes 
into  the  storehouse."  To  tell  the  simple  truth 
ought  never  to  be  considered  beyond  the 
bounds  of  modesty,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  the 
truth  when  I  say,  that  this  book  now  sent  out 
to  the  public  proves  beyond  doubt  the  wisdom 
of  the  command  and  the  truth  of  the  promise, 
"  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance  and  with 
the  first-fruits  of  all  thine  increase,  so  shall 
thy  barns  be  filled  with  plenty  and  thy  presses 
shall  burst  out  with  new  wine."  But  for  fear 
Solomon's  words  should  be  so  construed  by 
the  doubting  as  not  to  mean  hard  cash,  then  I 


Author's  Preface,  g 

will  state  plainly,  that  this  book  proves  from 
the  Bible  and  experience  that  poverty  is  always 
driven  away  and  piety  generally  cultivated  by 
paying  to  God  ten  per  cent,  of  our  income. 
Incidentally  it  is  shown  that  obedience  to  God's 
money  claim  upon  Christians  would  convert 
the  world  to  Christ  in  a  very  short  time. 

An  effort  has  been  made  to  state  each  point 
briefly,  so  that  the  time  of  busy  men  may  not 
be  occupied  longer  than  is  necessary  to  make 
each  argument  clear  and  convincing.  A  book 
twice  the  size  could  be  easily  written  were  the 
same  arguments  elaborated  to  their  fullest  ex- 
tent. The  characters  introduced  to  the  reader 
are  real,  and  the  objections  interspersed,  for 
the  most  part,  written  in  the  language  in  which 
they  were  stated  by  actual  and  not  imaginary 
men.  The  experiences  are  not  only  true  in 
their  statement,  but  each  experience  is  given 
by  a  different  individual  with  the  trade  or  pro- 
fession as  stated,  while  the  name  of  each  person 
could  be  given  were  it  deemed  prudent. 

The  idea  of  the  blacksmith,  his  son  and  the 
blacksmith  shop  has  a  foundation  in  fact,  but 


lo  Author's  Preface, 

the  school  house  and  the  Baptist  church  are 
introduced  for  the  sake  of  variety,  and  to  give 
added  interest  to  the  subject  under  discussion. 
The  book  is  divided  into  "  Talks  "  rather  than 
chapters ;  first,  for  the  sake  of  something  new, 
and  second,  in  order  to  be  true,  as  it  is  really 
made  up  of  talks  stenographically  reported  by 
a  lady  who  has  been  converted  to  the  doctrine 
and  practice  of  tithing  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  Author,  and  out  of  love  for  the 
cause  she  did  the  work. 

It  is  the  earnest  wish  and  devout  prayer  of 
the  writer  that  this  book  may  be  productive  of 
good,  and  lead  many  a  man  to  '^  Bring  all  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse''  in  response  to  the 

demand  of  God. 

The  Author. 


BISHOP  J.   H.  YINCFJS^T. 


(12) 


INTRODUCTION. 


There  are  whirlpools  in  the  great  sea. 
There  are  whirlpools  in  the  great  sea  of  soci- 
ety. In  a  whirlpool  the  circling  waters  tend 
toward  the  central  vortex,  and  everything  that 
comes  within  their  swirl  and  sweep  is  caught, 
and  finally  swallowed  down  to  that  deepest 
deep  which  makes  neither  return  nor  report  of 
its  victims.  Whatever  counter-currents  and 
temporary  eddies  may  play  on  the  other  lines 
of  this  great  gyration,  deceiving  at  first  both 
observer  and  victim,  the  controlling  current 
soon  proves  itself  master,  and  ere  long  the 
power  of  the  whirlpool  is  asserted  and  con- 
firmed. Everything  centres  in  a  central  self 
which  greedily  engulfs  leaf,  feather,  fish,  reck- 
less fowl,  flotsam  and  bark,  feasting  but  never 
satisfying  the  measureless  maw  of  the  insatiate 
sea.  The  ver}^  air  is  whirled  into  a  cyclone 
over  this  consuming  maelstrom — terrible  sym- 
bol of  an  all-dominating  selfishness. 


14  In  troduction . 

In  the  great  sea  which  God  made  there  are 
but  few  such  fatal  vortexes.  The  sea  of  society 
is  full  of  those  who  have  perverted  a  normal 
selfhood,  and  that  true  self-love  which  is  the 
bond  of  man's  individuality,  into  a  selfishness 
which  is  the  only  centre  of  life,  and  which 
lives  neither  for  God's  glory  nor  for  the  good 
of  men.  Such  souls  are  the  maelstroms  of 
society.  They  live  for  self  They  measure 
everything  by  the  personal  Jvdvantage  which 
they  hope  to  secure.  The  far-reaching  sweep 
of  their  own  ambition  lays  hold  of  whatsoever 
they  account  good  and  desirable,  and  steadily, 
by  forces  of  cunning  plot  and  unrelenting  pur- 
pose, they  appropriate  to  themselves  the  things 
they  account  of  greatest  good  in  their  personal 
life.  They  live  for  gold,  for  place,  for  power, 
for  prominence,  for  ease  and  luxury.  The 
Ego  is  the  centre  of  their  universe.  They  not 
only  ask,  ^'  What  shall  we  eat,  and  what  shall 
we  drink,  and  wherewithal  shall  we  be 
clothed?"  but  they  ask  nothing  else,  and  ac- 
count as  the  best  things  of  God's  creation  and 
providence,  and  the  best  things  of  human  so- 
ciety, that  which  feeds  and  adorns  their  own 
dying  and  unprofitable  bodies.  They  sacrifice 
the  interests  of  others  at  the  shrine  of  their 


Inh'oductioii. 


15 


own  advancement.  They  get  all  they  can  and 
keep  all  they  can.  They  are  willing  that  the 
poor  shall  continue  poor,  if  they  themselves 
may  grow  more  rich.  They  are  content  to 
build  their  princely  fortunes  on  a  pitiable  mass 
of  society  bound  down  and  ground  down  by 
oppression. 

These  social  whirlpools  maybe  developed  in 
individual  life,  and  in  a  larger  way  in  associ- 
ated commercial,  political  and  ecclesiastical 
life.  What  the  one  unsanctified  selfist  seeks 
daily  to  do  on  a  small  scale,  these  combinations 
of  society  seek  to.  accomplish  on  a  colossal 
scale.  Thus  are  formed  the  great  maelstroms 
of  trade,  of  politics,  of  nobility  and  royalty,  and 
of  priestly  tyranny,  which,  in  the  so-called 
^'  church  "  of  the  ages,  has  sucked  down  into 
ignorance  and  superstition — the  blackness  of 
darkness — so  many  millions  of  deluded  souls. 

Thus  the  root  of  all  personal  and  social  evil 
is  selfishness.  This  is  the  deadly  whirlpool. 
The  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  in  his  prophecy 
concerning  the  "perilous  times"  of  the  "last 
days,"  strikes  at  the  very  secret  of  all  deterio- 
ration and  crime  in  a  single  sentence  : — "  For 
men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves."  No 
wonder,    therefore,  that   he   adds — "  covetous, 


1 6  Introduction. 

boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient  to 
parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without  natural 
affection,  truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  incon- 
tinent, fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good, 
traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasures 
more  than  lovers  of  God,  having  the  form  of 
godliness  but  denying  the  power  thereof." 

There  are  fountains  in  the  sweet  gardens  of 
our  civilization.  There  are  up-springing  jets 
of  water  from  lofty,  out-of-sight  sources,  which 
play  in  the  sunlight,  filling  the  surrounding 
air  with  freshness,  imparting  new  life  and 
strength  to  grass,  plants,  trees,  washing  the 
leaves  of  overhanging  branches  and  the  petals 
of  fragrant  blossoms  in  the  neighborhood,  caus- 
ing them  to  shine  with  a  new  beauty,  and  to 
render  a  lovelier  ministry  of  color  and  fra- 
grance to  the  passer-by.  These  up-springing 
fountains  describe  curves  of  beauty,  and  give 
one  constantly  a  sense  of  strength  and  of  gen- 
erous intention.  The  fountain  puts  gladness 
into  the  hearts  of  men ;  causes  childhood  to 
leap  in  very  excess  of  joy;  giving  back  to  the 
benevolent  sun  light  for  his  light,  life  for  his 
force,  and  beauty  for  his  glory. 

In  the  gardens  of  our  modern  society  there 
are  some,  alas !  too  few,  such  fountains.     They 


In  troduction .  1 7 

are  the  men  and  women  supplied  from  divine 
reservoirs  with  the  water  of  life.  They  give 
freely,  having  freely  received.  The  sources 
of  their  life  are  in  the  heavens.  They  beautify 
the  neighborhood  in  which  they  live.  Flov/ers 
bloom  more  brightly,  birds  sing  more  sweetly, 
the  air  is  more  bracing,  the  foliage  fresher,  the 
sunshine  brighter,  the  earth  and  heavens  more 
glorious  because  of  the  divine  love  which  leaps 
up  in  looks  and  words  and  deeds  from  these 
fountain-hearts. 

These  live  for  others.  They  are  not  whirl- 
pools, but  fountains.  They  do  not  ask,  "  What 
can  this  do  for  me?"  but  "What  can  I  do  for 
others  ? '  The  spirit  of  help  is  the  spirit  of 
their  lives.  The  cry  of  their  souls  is  not,  "  Lift 
me  up,"  but  "Whom  shall  I  lift  up ?  "  They 
do  not  take  souls  away  from  the  light,  but  they 
bring  souls  into  the  light.  To  them  giving  is 
better  than  receiving,  serving  better  than  being 
served. 

As  the  selfist  combining  with  his  fellow-self- 
ist  constitutes  the  great  selfish  social  organiza- 
tions and  forces  which  ruin  society,  so  does  the 
unselfish  child  of  the  all-loving  God,  combin- 
ing with  other  fountain-lives,  create  great  spir- 
itual social  organizations,  and  generate  mighty 


1 8  httroduction, 

spiritual  energies  which  tend  toward  millen- 
niums of  blessing.  What  on  the  one  hand  the 
evil  combinations — political,  commercial  and 
ecclesiastical — do  for  the  degradation  of  hu- 
manit}^,  the  spiritual,  loving  combinations  in 
the  true  Church  of  Christ  do  for  the  regenera- 
tion and  uplifting  of  humanity. 

The  great  need  of  the  age  is  the  fountain-life 
of  grace  which  shall  neutralize  and  destroy  the 
whirlpool  life  of  self.  And  this  radical  change 
in  society  must  be  effected  through  the  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  church,  who,  loving 
their  kind,  denying  themselves,  and  giving 
their  substance,  create  in  every  community 
personal  and  social  centres  from  which  flow 
fountains  of  living  waters  for  the  refreshing 
and  for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 

It  is  mortifying  to  the  intelligent  Christian, 
and  sorely  embarrassing  to  the  promoters  of 
true  reform,  to  find  in  the  church  merely  one- 
sided views  of  religious  life.  There  are  people 
who  ignore  the  essentials.  They  hold  with 
tenacity  to  the  doctrinal  formulas,  forgetting 
that  no  finite  being  in  the  universe  holds 
larger  measures  of  truth  than  Satan  himself. 
There  are  people  who  exalt  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies in  religious  worship,  forgetting  that  par- 


Introduction.  19 

rots  can  talk,  ^olian  harps  emit  sweet  sounds, 
and  sparrows  chatter  in  the  leafy  wood,  and  all 
without  thought,  love  or  motive.  There  are 
people  who  put  stress  on  sentiment  and  emotion 
in  religion.  If  they  "feel  good,"  they  have  no 
doubt  as  to  their  personal  security  and  their 
acceptance  with  God,  although  acceptance  with 
God  is  valuable  to  them  chiefly  as  it  gives  them 
a  guarantee  of  security,  all  of  which  is  only 
another  form  of  selfishness,  and  lacks  the  very 
first  element  of  religious  character.  These 
people  covet  moods  and  states  of  feeling. 
They  revel  in  songs  and  prayers  and  hallelu- 
iahs. The  thrill  of  sentiment  and  the  warm 
currents  of  emotion  are  "the  all  and  be-all "  of 
religion.  Such  saints  forget  that  mere  mental 
exhilaration  and  good  feeling  may  co-exist  with 
carnal  hearts,  selfish  aims,  and  utter  worldli- 
ness  of  temper.  There  are  people  who  have 
everything  in  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ — 
which  is  a  religion  of  sacrifice — but  the  spirit 
and  act  of  sacrifice.  They  have  ideas  and 
ideals,  reverent  postures,  ritualistic  recitations, 
spontaneity  in  prayer  and  glow  of  hope,  but 
they  never  make  sacrifice  of  self  in  the  service 
of  their  Saviour.  They  give  little  or  nothing  ; 
they  believe  in  a  "free  gospel;"  the  law  of 


20  Introduction. 

one-tenth  has  never  put  its  iron  into  their  con- 
sciences ;  the  demand  of  the  heathen  has  never 
sounded  from  beyond  the  sea  into  their  inner 
life ;  they  give  at  random  under  pressure ;  they 
give  when  funny  stories  are  told,  when  rivalries 
between  men  and  classes  and  sexes  and  socie- 
ties are  started,  when  suppers  and  shows  and 
feasts — the  fruit  of  cunning  devices — are  given  ; 
there  is  no  conscience  in  their  giving ;  there  is 
no  prayer  before  it,  nor  is  the  offering  of  money 
mingled  with  the  incense  of  worship ;  they  re- 
gard all  finance  as  a  secular  part,  and  solely  a 
secular  part,  of  the  church  life;  they  ridicule  the 
law  of  the  tithe  as  the  crotchet  of  a  crank ; 
the  grace  they  profess  never  touches  the 
"  pocket-nen^e."  No  wonder  that  the  church 
is  limited  in  her  resources  ;  no  wonder  that  sal- 
aries are  deficient,  and  the  treasuries  of  the 
benevolent  departments  empty. 

The  church  needs  to-day  an  awakening  and 
a  revival  on  the  subject  of  systematic,  consci- 
entious, spiritual  and  worshipful  giving.  It 
must  understand  that  giving  is  the  law  of  the 
fountain-life.  What  is  grace  but  giving? 
God's  grace — God's  gift !  God's  grace  in  us — 
the  giving  of  ourselves,  the  giving  of  our 
powers,   the  giving  of  our  all  to  humanity. 


/;/  trodiiction .  2 1 

This  is  full  surrender;  this  is  symmetrical 
piety ;  this  is  a  true  religious  harmony  in 
which  the  whole  of  life  becomes  one  with  the 
divine  law  of  life. 

There  is,  moreover,  a  business  aspect  which 
this  subject  assumes,  worthy  of  our  most  care- 
ful attention.  The  church  ought  to  be  a 
model  of  society,  a  picture  of  the  millennium, 
when  love  and  wisdom  shall  abound  in  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  men.  On  this  theory,  busi- 
ness men  ought  to  be  able  to  turn  to  the 
church  and  watch  her  methods  of  transacting 
business  as  models  for  them  in  the  affairs  of 
everyday  life.  Money  should  be  collected,  ac- 
counts kept,  expenditure  made  in  a  manner  so 
honest,  systematic  and  becoming  that  the  hard 
sense  of  an  unsanctified  world  would  be  com- 
pelled to  pay  tribute  to  the  integrity,  thorough- 
ness and  charm  of  our  church-management. 
Children  brought  up  in  the  church  should 
acquire  commercial  and  ethical  ideas  and  be- 
come familiar  with  business  modes,  all  so  com- 
mendable as  to  make  them  better  business 
men  in  the  after  years  because  of  their  training 
in  the  Church  of  Christ. 

We  have  a  beautiful  picture  of  systematic, 
spontaneous  and  universal  giving  in  the  days 


22  Introduction. 

of  Moses  and  Israel,  when  the  call  of  the  Lord 
was  heard,  and  the  ''offering"  of  the  people 
given  "  willingly."  "  Speak  unto  the  children 
of  Israel,  that  they  bring  me  an  offering ;  of 
every  man  that  giveth  it  willingly  with  his 
heart,  I  shall  take  my  offering."  It  is  said 
that  ''  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel  came  very  near  whose  heart  stirred  him 
lip,  and  every  one  whom  his  spirit  made  willing, 
and  they  brought  the  Lord's  offering  to  the 
work  of  the  Tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
and  for  all  his  service,  and  for  the  holy  gar- 
ments." "  Every  man,"  "  every  one,"  "  all 
the  men  that  were  wise-hearted,"  ''  all  the 
women  whose  hearts  stirred  them  up,"  and  the 
"  rulers "  and  all  the  "  children  of  Israel 
brought  a  willing  offering  unto  the  Lord." 
Great  ideas  exalted  them,  divine  commands 
impelled  them,  and  divine  work  full  of  beauty 
and  of  incalculable  use  inspired  them.  And 
with  marvellous  unanimity  and  heartiness 
and  promptness  the  nation  poured  forth  its 
gifts  to  the  Lord,  gifts  of  every  sort  and  ac- 
cording to  individual  ability.  This  sponta- 
neous movement,  so  brilliant,  so  wise  and 
worthy,  was  so  turned  into  the  steady  and  legit- 
imate service  of  the  people,  that  a  tenth  of  all 


Introduction .  2  3 

that  tliey  had  was  to  be  placed  on  the  altar 
of  their  God.  Such  inspirations,  incentives 
and  systematic  methods  are  this  day  needed  in 
the  Church  of  the  Most  High.  Home  should 
teach  the  doctrines  underlying  systematic  be- 
nevolence. The  pulpit  should  proclaim  them. 
The  Sabbath  school  should  reiterate  them.  The 
administration  of  the  church  should  illus- 
trate them.  Then  will  the  coffers  of  Zion 
be  filled  to  overflowing,  and  the  work  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  carried  on  in  the  earth,  and  the 
heart  of  the  people,  made  glad  by  giving,  shall 
be  made  twice  glad  by  the  vision  of  the  result, 
as  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  shall  consecrate 
and  crown  their  work. 

In  all  giving  of  our  resources  to  the  cause 
of  God,  we  must  remember  that  the  value  of 
the  gift  depends  upon  the  motive  of  the  giver. 
Great  ideas  must  incorporate  themselves  in 
noble  character,  and  the  gift  must  be  the  fruit 
of  character.  The  Sabbath  collection  may 
thus  be  made  a  more  splendid  expression  of 
true  religion  than  any  anthem  that  choir  ever 
rendered,  or  any  song  that  ever  sounded  forth 
from  the  congregation.  When  the  gifts  that 
drop  into  the  passing  baskets  come  from  great 
hearts,  sustained  by  great  ideas,  and  contem- 


24  Introduction. 

plating  great  aims,  and  are  in  themselves 
prayers  whicli  take  the  form  of  deeds — then 
is  the  "  collection  "  worship,  and  the  ringing 
of  silver  and  copper  and  gold  sweet  music  in 
the  heavens. 

John  H.  Vincent. 

Chautauqua,  N.  Y., 
August  28,  1888. 


SYSTEMATIC  GIVING. 


The  following  talks  were  commenced  in  our 
blacksmith  shop  to  a  number  of  customers  and 
their  friends,  who  came  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say 
on  "  Systematic  Giving,"  as  they  call  it,  but 
what  I  prefer  to  call  "  Systematic  Paying  "  of 
what  we  owe  to  God. 

I  am  a  blacksmith,  the  son  of  a  blacksmith, 

and  the  grandson  of  a  blacksmith.     The  old 

shop   in   which   these   talks   commenced   had 

been  occupied  by  three  successive  generations, 

my  grandfather,  my  father,  and  myself     Each 

of  us  in  turn  shod  all  the  horses  of  the  little 

village,  repaired  all  the  ploughs  and  wagons, 

and,  in  short,  did  all  the  blacksmithing  that 

was  to  be  done  for  miles  around.     At  nights, 

the  men  and  boys  of  our  little  communit}^  used 

to  assemble  in  our  shop,  and  while  father  and 

myself  would  transform  old  horse  shoes  into 

new  ones,  there  would  be  a  general  discussion 
3  (25) 


HOW 


THK   TALKS  BEGAN. 


(26) 


The  Path  to   Wealth, 


27 


of  things,  both  light  and  grave,  the  conversa- 
tions being  enlivened  by  the  blaze  of  the  forge, 
and  made  merry  by  the  cling-clang  of  hammer 
and  sledge,  as  they  rattled  on  an  anvil  which 
gave  ''  no  uncertain  sound." 


THE  SHOEMAKER. 


We  had  some  profound  philosophers  in  our 
village,  and  some  equally  noted  for  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible.  The  shoemaker,  the  doctor 
and  the  man  that  kept  the  only  shop  in  the 
village,  where  we  bought   our  dry-goods,  gro- 


28  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

ceries,  hardware  and  stationery,  were  tlie  best 
talkers,  and  seemed  to  know  the  most;  although 
after  I  was  converted,  it  did  seem  remarkable  how 
much  God  revealed  to  me  of  the  Bible,  myself, 
and  everybody  else ;  and  how  He  let  loose  my 
tongue  none  know  better  than  our  nightly  com- 
pany at  the  blacksmith  shop.  On  the  day  pre- 
ceding this  particular  night  when  these  talks 
commenced,  there  were  several  farmers  in  with 
work  to  be  done,  and  while  waiting  they  had  a 
general  conversation  on  the  great  demand  for 
money  from  the  churches,  and  the  general 
subject  of  Christian  giving,  some  complaining 
that  there  was  nothing  but  collections  and 
subscriptions,  while  others  explained  the  reason 
why,  and  justified  the  demands,  but  objected 
to  the  general  system  by  which  the  people 
gave  their  contributions.  They  struck  a  sub- 
ject upon  w^hich  I  had  very  decided  views,  for 
I  had  given  it  considerable  attention,  and 
thought  I  knew  the  Bible  plan,  and  I  said  some 
things  which  seemed  new  and  startling  to 
them,  although  my  ideas  were  as  old  as  Abra- 
ham at  least. 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge. 


29 


By  some  kind  of  general  consent,  an  nn- 
usually  large  number  came  to  the  shop  that 
night  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say  on  that  sub- 
ject. An  influential  business  man  from  the 
city  was  visiting  the  doctor,  and  he  brought 


THE  BLACKSMITH. 


him  along,  while  our  company  was  also  graced 
with  the  presence  of  our  own  minister,  who 
found  out  what  was  going  on,  and  came  to 
listen.  It  was  a  representative  gathering  and 
I  tried  my  best  to  be  equal   to  the  occasion, 


30  The  Path  to  Wealth; 

and  ''  give  saint  and  sinner  their  portion  in 
due  season."  All  work  was  laid  aside  for  that 
night,  and  as  the  company  sat  around  upon 
the  benches,  the  forge,  and  upon  boxes,  I  sat 
upon  the  anvil,  with  my  leathern  apron  for  a 
cushion,  and  began  my  discourse  on 

''  SYSTEMATIC  PAYING." 
Talk  No.  i. 
"  There  are  some  duties  which  can  be  found 
out  without  the  aid  of  the  Bible,  and  there  are 
a  great  many  things  which  are  necessary  to 
know  that  the  Bible  was  never  intended  to 
teach,  and  yet  there  are  a  great  many  other 
things  which  we  could  never  discover  if  the 
Bible  had  not  been  given  us.  God  has  given 
us  two  great  books — the  Bible  and  Nature — 
and  in  one  or  other  of  these  books  each  duty 
of  man  to  man,  and  of  man  to  God,  is  clearly 
revealed  to  us.  Nature  is  God's  first  book, 
and  the  Bible  is  His  supplement :  what  is  not 
revealed  in  one  is  communicated  in  the  other. 
From  nature  we  learn  there  is  great  need  of 
benevolence,  but  she  reveals  to  us  no  law  for 


(?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  31 

its  exercise^  or  adequate  motive  to  prompt  its 
action.  The  Bible  steps  in  and  confirms  nature 
as  to  the  need  of  benevolence,  but,  in  addition, 
it  supplies  powerful  motives  for  its  exercise,  and 
gives  exact  rules  for  its  guidance.  There  are 
attached  to  all  the  laws  of  God,  whether  as 
seen  in  nature  or  revealed  in  the  Bible,  rewards 
and  penalties.  No  man  can  keep  a  law  with- 
out being  blessed,  and  no  man  can  break  a  law 
without  being  cursed.  So  far  as  what  is  gen- 
erally called  natural  law  is  concerned,  this  is 
evident  to  all,  and  no  time  need  be  taken  to 
prove  it.  If  I  put  my  hand  in  the  fire  it  is 
burned,  no  matter  how  pious  I  may  be ;  and  if 
I  do  not  eat  I  shall  starve.  Both  of  these 
disasters  would  be  the  result  of  the  natural 
operation  of  well-known  laws.  Experience 
proves  that  the  laws  of  the  Bible  are  equally 
unyielding,  for,  be  it  remembered,  the  Bible 
does  not  make  any  of  its  laws  :  it  simply  reveals 
what  already  exists  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  but  which  could  not  be  found  out  by 
unaided  reason. 

"  I  shall  attempt  to  make  it  very  clear,  in 


32  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

my  talk,  that  God  has  communicated  to  us  the 
exact  minimum  sum  which  we  are  to  contribute 
of  our  means  to  the  support  of  His  cause ;  that 
His  will  has  been  communicated  to  us  in  the 
Bible  in  such  a  way  that  it  has  all  the  force  of 
a  law,  or  a  direct  command,  and  what  I  have 
just  said  concerning  the  keeping  or  the  break- 
ing of  other  laws  is  appropriate  to  this  subject. 
I  trust  also  to  be  able  to  prove  that  there  are 
very  great  blessings,  both  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual, promised  to  the  man  who  gives  the  pro- 
portionate amount  of  his  income  as  demanded 
by  the  Bible.  Probably  I  shall  put  the  stress 
on  the  temporal  blessings ;  and,  from  a  business 
standpoint,  attempt  to  prove  that  there  is 
money  in  it.  The  careful  reader  of  the  Bible, 
particularly  of  the  Old  Testament,  must  see 
how  often  God  promises  material  blessings  to 
His  people  if  they  keep  His  commandments, 
and  how  often  God  promises  to  bless  His 
people  with  earthly  good  if  they  regularly  and 
faithfully  tithe  their  income. 

*'  Over  and  over  again,  by  different  writers 
and   under   different   circumstances,   it   is   in 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  33 

effect  most  distinctly  asserted  that  '  The  tenth 
is  holy  nnto  the  Lord,'  and  the  prophet  Mal- 
achi,  who  is  the  last  prophet  under  the  old 
dispensation,  and  who  may  be  said,  in  some 
sense,  to  be  the  prophet  who  ushered  in  the 
New  Testament  dispensation,  uses  this  signifi- 
cant language  concerning  tithing  (Mai.  iii. 
10,  II,  12)  :  '  Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the 
storehouse,  that  there  may  be  meat  in  mine 
house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the  win- 
dows of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing, 
that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive 
it.  And  I  will  rebuke  the  devourer  for  your 
sakes,  and  he  shall  not  destroy  the  fruits  of 
your  ground  ;  neither  shall  your  vine  cast  her 
fruit  before  the  time  in  the  field,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  And  all  nations  shall  call  you 
blessed :  for  ye  shall  be  a  delightsome  land, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.' 

"  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  state  that  the 
word  tithe^  when  used  in  the  Bible,  always 
means  tenths  and  is  never  used  in  any  other 
sense.     Putting  this  expression  into   modern 


34  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

language,  it  means,  that  ten  per  cent,  of  our 
net  earnings  are  to  be  devoted  to  God  and  to 
His  cause ;  that  is,  to  religious  and  benevolent 
purposes.  God  distinctly  promises  that,  if  we 
will  be  faithful  and  pay  Him  ten  per  cent, 
regularly,  or,  as  the  Bible  puts  it,  ^  Bring  all 
the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,'  He  will  give 
us  both  material  and  spiritual  blessings.  I 
fear  there  is  a  tendency  in  modern  religious 
teaching  to  postpone  all  blessings  until  we  get 
to  heaven,  and  perhaps  unduly  associate 
*  poverty  and  piety,'  forgetting  that  Jesus 
said,  '  The  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth,'  and 
Paul  taught  that  godliness  is  equally  good  to 
make  money  with  or  to  take  a  man  to  heaven. 
This  modern  teaching  states  that  if  God 
blesses  us  here  in  the  performance  of  our  duty, 
the  blessings  will  be  of  a  spiritual  character ; 
but  I  afi&rm  that  there  are  more  promises  in 
the  Bible  of  a  material  character,  promising 
those  who  keep  the  commandments  material 
blessings,  than  there  are  promises  of  a  spirit- 
ual character.  I  do  not  state  that  material 
prosperity  in  itself  is  to  be  compared,  in  im- 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge,  35 

portance,  to  spiritual  prosperity ;  for,  compar- 
atively, one  is  dross  and  tbe  other  is  gold, 
one  is  the  bubble  on  the  ocean  and  the  other 
is  the  ocean,  one  relates  to  time  and  the  other 
to  eternity,  and  there  is  no  comparison.  But, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  the  Bible  gives 
greater  prominence  to  the  earthly  advantages 
of  obedience  to  God  than  modern  religious 
teaching;  and  the  reason  is  likely  found  in 
the  fact,  that  our  material  condition  very  greatly 
affects  our  spiritual  advancement,  and  that  of 
the  world. 

"It  is  easier  for  a  man  with  health  and 
wealth  to  be  good,  than  it  is  for  a  man  stricken 
with  disease  and  oppressed  by  poverty.  The 
grace  of  God  can,  and  does,  equal  any 
difficulty  that  may  be  in  the  way  of  any 
man's  piety ;  but  granting  that  two  men  are 
equally  good  and  that  they  represent  the  con- 
ditions to  which  I  have  referred,  there  can  be 
no  comparison  between  the  possible  influence 
of  the  one  upon  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
world,  and  the  influence  of  the  other ;  so  that, 
in  a  relative  sense,  the  blessings  of  health  and 


36  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

wealth  are  of  overwhelming  importance,  and 
are  to  be  coveted.  I  affirm  that  God  promises 
to  give  us  health  and  wealth  if  we  will  pay 
Him  our  tithes.  He  promises  to  fill  our  barns, 
to  give  us  houses  and  lands,  to  make  our  busi- 
ness successful,  to  protect  our  families,  and,  in 
every  way,  blessings  of  a  temporal  character 
are  promised  to  those  who  will  keep  this  com- 
mandment of  paying  ten  per  cent,  to  His 
cause. 

^'  It  may  be  profitable  for  me,  in  the  first 
place,  to  talk  a  little  on 


((( 


THE  ORIGIlsr  OI?  TITHE-GIVING.' 


"  If  you  will  turn  to  Genesis  xiv.  20,  you 
will  there  learn  that  Abraham  paid  tithes  to 
Melchizedek,  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God. 
It  appears  that  Abraham  had  been  engaged 
in  a  warfare  with  Chedorlaomer,  a  heathen 
prince,  and  was  successful.  God  had  given 
Abraham  the  victory,  and  enabled  him  to 
rout  the  enemy.  In  returning  from  the  war 
he  brought  much  spoils  with  him,  and  meeting 


6>r,  Light  from  my  Forge,  37 

Melchizedek,  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God, 
he  gave  him  a  tenth  of  the  prize  he  had  cap- 
tured. Whether  this  was  a  spontaneous  thank- 
offering  to  God  for  the  signal  victory  which 
he  had  achieved,  or  whether  he  was  carrying 
out  a  commandment  he  had  received,  we  are 
left  to  conjecture. 

''  I  am  inclined  to  think,  by  some  means 
or  other,  God  had  communicated  to  Abraham 
His  will,  that  He  demanded  of  His  people 
ten  per  cent,  of  their  income  for  the  carrying 
on  of  His  cause.  There  is  strong  presump- 
tive evidence  of  this,  of  which  I  will  not 
now.  speak,  but  I  may  do  so  hereafter. 
Whatever  the  truth  may  be  concerning  this, 
it  is  certain  that  God  afterwards  adopted  the 
tenth  as  His  share  of  the  increase  of  the  peo- 
ple. We  find  that  it  became  incorporated  in 
the  Jewish  statute  books ;  we  find  it  coming 
from  the  lips  of  the  prophets,  from  the  kings, 
and  from  all  those  who  were  in  authority  over 
God's  ancient  people. 

''  The  next  reference  to  tithe-giving  is  in  the 
memorable  case  of  Jacob,  when  he  was  fleeing 


38  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

from  Esau,  and  on  the  road  to  his  uncle  Laban 
at  Padan-aram.  The  story  says  that  on  the 
road  he  laid  him  down  to  sleep,  and  he  dreamed 
a  dream ;  in  his  dream,  he  saw  a  ladder 
reaching  from  earth  to  heaven,  with  angels 
ascending  and  descending,  while  God  was  on 
the  top  of  the  ladder,  and  had  a  conversation 
with  Jacob.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  conver- 
sation, Jacob  made  a  bargain  with  God  (Gen, 
xxviii.  20,  21,  22}  :  ^And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow, 
saying.  If  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will  keep 
me  in  this  way  that  I  go  and  will  give  me 
bread  to  eat,  and  raiment  to  put  on,  so  that  I 
come  again  to  my  father's  house  in  peace ;  then 
shall  the  Lord  be  my  God :  and  this  stone, 
which  I  have  set  for  a  pillar,  shall  be  God's 
house :  and  of  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me,  I 
will  surely  give  the  tenth  unto  thee,'  It  is 
not  irreverent  to  say,  that  this  was  a  business 
bargain  of  a  man  with  his  Maker;  and  it 
seems  that  God  was  pleased  with  it,  and  gra- 
ciously accepted  its  conditions,  and  He  fully 
carried  out  His  share  of  the  bargain. 

"Jacob  reached  the  house  of  Laban  in  safety^ 


THE  SCENE  OF  JACOl'/S  TITHE  VOW. 


(39) 


40  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

and  hired  with  him  as  a  keeper  of  sheep. 
While  he  was  there  he  fell  in  love  with  Rachel, 
one  of  the  daughters  of  Laban,  and  served 
seven  years  for  her;  but  at  the  end  of  the 
term  he  was  cheated  by  his  old  heathen  uncle, 
and  received  Leah  instead ;  at  the  end  of  an- 
other seven  years,  he  was  rewarded  with 
Rachel.  It  seems,  during  the  fourteen  years 
which  Jacob  had  been  in  the  employ  of  Laban, 
that  the  latter's  flocks  had  wonderfully  pros- 
pered;  and  Laban,  with  an  eye  to  business, 
valued  Jacob's  labor,  and  manifested  great 
anxiety  to  retain  his  services..  Jacob  had  now 
quite  a  large  family  around  him,  and  wanted 
to  leave  Laban,  so  that  he  could  provide  for 
his  household,  but  Laban  prevailed  upon  him 
to  stay,  saying  (Gen.  xxx.  27,  28)  :  *And 
Laban  said  unto  him,  I  pray  thee,  if  I  have 
found  favor  in  thine  eyes,  tarry :  for  I  have 
learned  by  experience  that  the  Lord  hath 
blessed  me  for  thy  sake.  And  he  said.  Ap- 
point me  thy  wages,  and  I  will  give  it.' 

"A  bargain  was   made   between  them,   that 
Jacob  was  to  have  all  the  spotted  and  speckled 


oi\  Light  from  my  Forge. 


41 


sheep  and  goats  for  his  share.  Jacob  reminded 
Laban  that  before  he  came  to  him  he  had  but 
little,  but  now  he  had  a  multitude  of  sheep  and 
goats,  and  that  the  Lord  had  blessed  him  for 
his   sake.     The   bargain,   as  just   mentioned, 


JACOB  AND  LABAN. 


was  made  between  them ;  and  it  seems  won- 
derful, that  from  this  time  on,  most  of  the 
sheep  and  goats  came  spotted  and  speckled, 
the  strong  lambs  of  the  flock  were  nearly  all 


42  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

marked  that  way.  Laban,  stirred  with  j  ealousy^ 
changed  Jacob's  wages,  and  paid  him  on  an- 
other plan ;  but  it  would  seem  from  the  narra- 
tive that  Jacob's  share  of  the  sheep  was  always 
larger  than  Laban's,  and  that  Laban,  filled 
with  envy,  changed  the  nature  of  his  wages 
ten  times ;  but  it  made  no  difference  what  kind 
of  sheep  were  to  be  Jacob's  share,  his  would 
always  be  the  largest.  Jacob  increased  won- 
derfully, and  the  story  says  (Gen.  xxx.  43)  : 
'And  the  man  increased  exceedingly,  and  had 
much  cattle,  and  maid-servants,  and  man-ser- 
vants, and  camels,  and  asses.'  God,  in  a  con- 
versation with  Jacob,  states,  in  substance,  that 
the  reason  of  all  this  increase  was  because  he 
had  taken  Him  into  partnership,  and  given 
Him  a  tenth  of  his  earnings  ;  for  in  the  con- 
versation referred  to,  God  cited  Jacob  back  to 
the  years  gone  by,  when  he  was  a  refugee,  and 
had  nothing  but  his  staff,  to  the  time  and 
place  where  Jacob  made  the  bargain  with  God, 
and  said  (Gen.  xxxi.  13),  'I  am  the  God  of 
Bethel,  where  thou  anointedst  the  pillar,  and 
where   thou    vowedst   a   vow   unto   me :   now 


or^  Light  fro7n  viy  Forge.  43 

arise,  get  thee  out  from  this  land,  and  return 
unto  the  land  of  thy  kindred.' 

"It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  God  would 
take  special  care  of  the  business  of  that  man 
in  which  He  had  a  one-tenth  interest,  even  if 
the  Bible  were  silent  upon  the  subject ;  but  the 
Bible  is  by  no  means  silent,  as  it  expressly  de- 
clares, over  and  over  again,  that  the  reason 
why  His  people  were  so  blessed  in  their 
worldly  goods,  was  because  they  regularly 
paid  Him  the  tenth ;  and  at  other  times  it 
expressly  declares,  that  the  reason  why  diverse 
circumstances  overtook  them  was  because 
they  robbed  Him  of  the  tenth  which  He  de- 
manded. 

"  So  far  as  I  can  see,  the  next  reference  to 
tithing  in  the  Bible  is  a  direct  command  from 
God.  If  you  turn  to  Leviticus  xxvii.  30,  31, 
32,  you  will  find  the  following:  'And  all  the 
tithe  of  the  land,  whether  of  the  seed  of  the 
land,  or  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  is  the  Lord's  : 
it  is  holy  unto  the  Lord.  And  if  a  man  will 
at  all  redeem  ought  of  his  tithes,  he  shall  add 
thereto  the  fifth  part  thereof.     And  concerning 


44  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

the  tithe  of  the  herd,  or  of  the  flock,  even  of 
whatsoever  passeth  under  the  rod,  the  tenth 
shall  be  holy  unto  the  Lord.' 

"And  then  please  turn  to  Deut.  xiv.  22,  28, 


MOSES  AND  THE  LAW. 


29,  and  you  will  find  the  following:  ^Thou 
shalt  truly  tithe  all  the  increase  of  thy  seed, 
that  the  field  bringeth  forth  year  by  year.  At 
the  end  of  three  years  thou  shalt  bring  forth 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  4  c 

all  the  tithe  of  thine  increase  the  same  year, 
and  shall  lay  it  up  within  thy  gates.  And  the 
Levite  (because  he  hath  no  part  nor  inherit- 
ance with  thee)  and  the  stranger,  and  the 
fatherless,  and  the  widow,  which  are  within 
thy  gates,  shall  come,  and  shali  eat  and  be 
satisfied ;  that  the  Lord  thy  God  may  bless 
thee  in  all  the  work  of  thine  hand  which  thou 
doest.'  Numerous  other  texts  might  be  cited 
reaffirming  the  same  commandment,  but  those 
already  quoted  make  it  very  clear  that  God 
demanded  a  tenth  of  His  people's  income  as 
His  share;  and  this  commandment  was  just 
as  binding  upon  the  conscience  of  His  people 
as  any  commandment  imposed  upon  them. 

''  I  wish  to  notice,  in  the  next  place,  that 
obedience  to  this  commandment  was  essential 
to  the  prosperity  of  God's  ancient  people.  The 
Old  Testament  is  full  of  directions  concerning 
the  method  of  giving  the  tenth,  and  it  states 
and  re-states  the  advantages  and  blessings 
which  will  follow  the  observance  of  this  com- 
mandment, and  the  dire  calamities  which  will 
come  upon  them  if  they  rob  God,  or  fail  in  the 


46  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

performance  of  this  duty,  to  pay  Him  the  por- 
tion of  their  income  which  He  demands.  It  is 
very  clear  that,  when  the  people  of  God  obeyed 
this  commandment,  they  prospered  wonder- 
fully, they  were  blessed  with  material  increase, 
their  crops  were  plentiful,  the  health  of  the 
people  was  remarkable,  and,  in  fact,  in  every 
way  they  enjoyed  material  and  spiritual  pros- 
perity. It  is  also  very  clear  that,  when  they 
disobeyed  this  commandment  and  gave  God 
a  less  sum  than  ten  per  cent.,  the  curse  of 
God  came  down  upon  them ;  their  crops  were 
blighted  and  mildewed,  they  fled  from  the 
presence  of  their  enemies,  they  were  scattered 
and  driven  from  one  place  to  another ;  and  I 
shall  show  you,  in  a  moment,  that  God  dis- 
tinctly states  that  these  calamities  came  upon 
them  because  they  robbed  Him  of  His  dues, 
and  kept  for  themselves  what  He  demanded 
for  His  cause. 

''  In  the  reign  of  good  king  Hezekiah,  the 
people  gladly  paid  their  tithes,  and  as  a  result, 
they  were  very  prosperous.  Please  turn  to  II. 
Chronicles  xxxi.   5-10 :  *  And  as  soon  as  the 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  47 

•commandment  came  abroad,  the  children  of 
Israel  brought  in  abundance  the  first  fruits  of 
corn,  wine,  and  oil,  and  honey,  and  of  all  the 
increase  of  the  field  ;  and  the  tithe  of  all  things 
brought  they  in  abundantly.  And  Azariah 
the  chief  priest  of  the  house  of  Zadok  answered 
him,  and  said.  Since  the  people  began  to  bring 
the  offerings  into  the  house  of  the  I^ord,  we 
have  had  enough  to  eat,  and  have  plenty  left ; 
for  the  Lord  hath  blessed  His  people,  and  that 
which  is  left  is  this  great  store.'  Here  3^ou 
see,  my  statements  are  fully  borne  out.  It  is 
distinctly  stated  that  the  children  of  Israel 
brought  in  their  tithe  of  all  things  with  glad- 
ness, and  as  a  result,  God  blessed  His  people ; 
they  had  enough  and  to  spare  for  themselves, 
and  the  house  of  the  Lord  was  abundantly 
provided  for;  it  not  only  was  provided  with 
enough  for  the  necessities  of  the  priests,  Le- 
vites,  and  the  poor,  but  there  was  abundance 
to  spare.  To  summarize  this  Biblical  quota- 
tion, we  get  the  following : 

"  (i)  Tithing    was    a    commandment.      It 


48  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

was  for   all   the  people,  for   it  was  published 

*  abroad.' 

"  (2)  The  children  of  Israel  gladly  kept  this 
commandment,  and  tithed  all  they  possessed, 
not  excepting  anything. 

"  (3)  Azariah,  the  chief  priest,  told  the  king 
that  the  people  were  bringing  in  their  offer- 
ings according  to  the  directions  of  God,  and 
that  from  the  very  day  they  commenced  the 
observance  of  this  commandment,  the  follow- 
ing were  the  results :  {a)  The  house  of  God 
was  abundantly  provided  for;  His  servants, 
the  priests  and  Levites,  and  all  who  worked 
about  the  Temple,  received  their  pay ;  there 
was  no  lack  of  means  to  carry  on  the  expen- 
sive machinery  of  conducting  worship  for  the 
people,  (b)  God  had  blessed  His  people  with 
great  material  prosperity  because  they  kept 
this  commandment.  [c)  So  great  was  the 
prosperity  of  the  people  that  their  tithes  had 
formed  a  surplus  in  the  house  of  God,  for  after 
all  the  demands  had  been  met,  there  was  a 

*  great  store '  left. 


<9r,  Light  fro77t  my  Forge.  49 

''  In  this  instance  we  see  demonstrated  that 
by  paying  God  ten  per  cent,  the  ninety  per 
cent,  which  the  people  retained  for  themselves 
was  a  larger  sum  than  the  whole  would  have 
been  if  it  had  all  been  retained.  Such  a  state- 
ment may  be  contrary  to  a  narrow  material- 
istic philosophy,  but  it  is  not  contrary  to  the 
experience  of  the  Church  of  God  in  all  ages, 
and  it  is  in  full  harmony  with  the  experience 
of  the  devout  and  the  enlightened  Christian 
in  any  country,  and  under  all  sorts  of  circum- 
stances. ^  There  is  that  giveth  and  yet  in- 
creaseth.' 

''  From  this  historical  event,  it  is  fair  to  argue 
that  the  same  results  would  follow  in  any  age 
where  the  same  conditions  exist.  Hence,  what 
we  need  to  make  all  the  people  prosperous  and 
to  give  the  Church  of  God  abundance,  is  for  all 
the  people  to  pay  tithes ;  and,  as  the  less  is  in- 
cluded in  the  greater,  what  is  needed  for  each 
individual  to  bring  down  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  his  enterprises,  and  give  him  prosperity, 
is,  for  him  to  tithe  his  income. 

"These    are  propositions  which    cannot    be 


50  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

successfully  controverted,  unless  it  can  be 
sliown  that  this  law  has  been  repealed  in  the 
Bible,  or  that  Christian  men  are  not  under  its 
obligations ;  but  no  such  repeal  is  found  either 
in  the  Old  or  New  Testament,  nor  can  any 
good  reasons  be  adduced  to  show  that  the  law  is 
not  binding  on  Christians.  Certain  it  is,  that  a 
great  many  people  to-day  observe  this  law ;  and, 
so  far  as  can  be  learned,  they  each  claim  that 
God  deals  with  them  as  He  did  with  His  ancient 
people  the  Jews,  and  they  are  greatly  blessed. 
"  Now,  I  wish  to  show  you  that,  when  the 
people  of  God  failed  to  pay  Him  ten  per  cent., 
the  curse  of  God  came  down  upon  them. 
Turn  to  Malachi  iii.  7,  8,  9 :  *  Even  from  the 
days  of  your  fathers  ye  have  gone  away  from 
mine  ordinances,  and  have  not  kept  them. 
Return  unto  me  and  I  will  return  unto  you, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts ;  but  ye  said.  Wherein 
shall  we  return  ?  Will  a  man  rob  God  ?  Yet 
ye  have  robbed  me.  But  ye  say.  Wherein  have 
we  robbed  thee  ?  In  tithes  and  offerings.  Ye 
are  cursed  with  a  curse,  for  ye  have  robbed  me, 
even  this  whole  nation.' 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  51 

"  In  the  tenth  verse,  which  has  already  been 
quoted,  He  promises  that  if  they  will  bring  in 
their  tithes  He  will  bless  them  abundantly 
with  material  and  spiritual  blessings,  and 
states,  in  the  next  verse,  that  He  will  rebuke 
the  devourer  for  their  sakes,  and  promises  that 
their  fruits  shall  not  be  destroyed  in  the 
ground,  nor  shall  their  vine  cast  her  fruit  be- 
fore the  time  in  the  field,  and  declares  that  all 
nations  shall  call  them  blessed,  and  that  they 
shall  become  a  delightsome  land,  I  want  you 
to  observe  that  these  are  blessings  of  a  mate- 
rial character — ^blessings  of  wealth,  and  honor, 
and  power,  and  prosperity;  all  the  blessings 
that  an  individual  or  a  nation  can  expect  or 
desire ;  and  these  blessings  are  promised  if 
they  will  bring  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse, 
or,  in  other  words,  pay  to  God  one-tenth  of  their 
income. 

''  In  summing  up  the  statements  of  this 
quotation,  we  get  the  following : 

"  (i)  That  God  claims  the  tithe  of  all  things 
as  His. 


52  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

''  (2)  That  to  withhold  the  tithe  from  God 
is  robbery. 

'^  (3)  That  God  punishes  such  robberies  in 
kind,  that  is,  they  rob  Him  of  His  share  of 
their  earthly  substance,  and  He  punishes  them 
by  devouring  worms,  which  destroy  their  crops, 
b}^  blight,  which  causes  the  vine  to  cast  her 
grapes  before  they  are  ripe ;  in  short,  He  brings 
a  material  curse  upon  them  for  a  material  sin, 
and  in  all  their  borders  their  enterprises  are 
unsuccessful. 

"  These  calamities  came  upon  the  Jews  be- 
cause they  did  not  pay  tithes. 

*'  (4)  God  invites  them  to  return  to  Him, 
and  to  bring  in  their  tithes  as  aforetime. 

"  (5)  That  if  they  do  so,  He  will  return  to 
them,  and  give  them  great  material  prosperity, 
as  He  did  in  other  days. 

"  It  is  very  clear  to  the  Bible  student  that 
the  prosperity  of  the  Jews  ran  parallel  with 
their  observance  of  this  commandment,  and 
that  their  adversities  and  many  sad  national 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Foige.  53 

calamities  ran  parallel  with  their  disobedience 
to  this  commandment.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  Jacob  is  the  first  man  to  formally  make  a 
business  bargain  with  God,  for  he  distinctly 
stated  that,  if  God  would  be  with  him,  give 
him  bread  to  eat,  and  bring  him  again  to  his 
father's  house  in  safety,  he  would  give  Him 
one-tenth  of  all  he  earned.  Jacob  faithfully 
kept  his  part  of  the  bargain,  and  as  a  result, 
God  did  bless  him  in  his  business,  gave  him 
wonderful  material  prosperity,  and  returned 
him  to  his  own  land  a  great  and  a  rich  man. 

"  Now,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that,  as 
this  was  such  a  success  in  the  case  of 
Jacob,  he  would  impress  it  upon  his  children, 
and  endeavor  to  get  them  to  follow  in  his 
footsteps.  His  example  and  influence  upon 
his  posterity  was  so  great,  that  this  law  of 
the  tithe  seems  to  be  interwoven  in  their 
natures ;  and  the  giving  of  the  tithe,  after  a 
time,  seemed  to  be  so  essential  to  their  pros- 
perity, that  they  kept  this  commandment  when 
they  had  backslidden  in  all  other  matters. 

'^It  is  an  historic  fact  that  no  nation  has 


54  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

Had  the  vitality  and  rebound  of  tHe  Jewish 
people.  They  have  been  scattered  among  all 
nations  ;  they  have  been  banished  from  nearly 
every  land  under  the  heavens  ;  they  have  been 
a  hissing  and  a  by-word.  This  nation  has 
resembled  the  bush  Moses  saw,  /which  was 
burning  and  yet  not  consumed.'  History  tells 
us  that  the  Jewish  people  have  always  been  a 
money-making  people.  No  sooner  are  they 
expelled  by  one  nation,  with  all  their  goods 
confiscated,  than  we  find  them  in  another 
country,  and  they  speedily  become  the  mer- 
chant princes,  the  great  money  loaners,  and 
the  bankers. 

*'  I  believe  this  quality  of  success,  or  pro- 
pensity to  make  money,  in  the  Jews  is  at- 
tributable to  the  fact  that  no  matter  what  laws 
they  neglected,  they  were  careful  to  pay  God 
His  tenth,  and  God  was  in  honor  bound  to 
bless  them  with  material  prosperity,  because 
He  had  promised  it  in  the  Bible,  and  He  com- 
pels nature  to  yield  her  fruits  freely  to  the 
man  or  nation  who  gives  back  to  nature's  God 
one-tenth  of  her  produce.     Such  is  the  char- 


SIR   MOSES   MONTEFIORE,  The  Jewish  Philanthropist. 

Born  in  London,  1784,  and  died  in  1884,  just  after  his  one- 
hundredth  birthday.  A  man  of  great  piety  and  extraordinary 
benevolence.  He  spent  his  time  and  vast  fortune  in  aiding 
the  down-trodden  of  his  own  race.  In  their  interest  he  visited 
Russia,  Poland,  Morocco,  Syria  and  other  parts  of  the  world. 
In  1867  he  built  and  endowed  a  large  Hospital  at  Ramsgate,. 
England,  for  the  benefit  of  all  classes. 

(55) 


56  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

acteristic  of  money-making  in  the  Jews,  that 
it  has  become  a  proverb  to  say  'As  rich  as  a 
Jew.'  Jacob,  the  father  of  the  Jews,  learned 
the  secret  of  making  money,  and  every  man 
who  has  imitated  him  has  had  similar  success. 
I  think  it  is  clearly  seen  from  what  I  have 
said,  that  to  give  a  tenth  of  their  income  was 
a  command  of  God  for  His  ancient  people,  and 
that  they  greatly  prospered  in  its  observance, 
and  were  equally  hindered  when  they  failed  to 
observe  it.  These  are  statements  which,  I 
think,  no  Bible  student  will  deny. 

''  Now,  I  wish  to  show  you,  in  the  next 
place,  that  this  tithing  command  is  binding 
UPON  Christians.  God's  laws  are  eternal; 
they  are  like  Himself,  and  '  He  is  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day  and  forever.'  All  the  laws 
of  the  Old  Testament  that  are  applicable  now, 
are  equally  binding  now,  even  though  there 
may  be  no  re-affirmation  of  them  in  the 
New  Testament.  We  often  hear  people  speak 
about  being  '  free  from  the  law,'  but  to  many 
minds  I  fear  that  expression  contains  as  much 
error  as  it  does   truth.     If  it  means   that  we 


<9r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  57 

are  free  from  the  moral  law,  or  that  Christians 
have  a  right  to  break  any  of  the  command- 
ments, it  is  tnily  a  very  great  error,  for  each 
and  all  of  the  ten  commandments  are  as  bind- 
ing now  upon  Christians  as  they  were  upon 
God's  ancient  people,  when  those  command- 
ments were  first  given ;  and  this  remark  ap- 
plies with  equal  force  to  all  the  moral  laws  or 
commandments  of  the  Old  Testament. 

^'  There  are  certain  ceremonial  laws  that 
typified  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  which 
are  now  done  away  with,  because  Christ 
has  come  and  fulfilled  that  of  which  these 
were  the  types.  There  were  also  certain  laws 
which  had  only  a  local  application,  which  are 
no  longer  applicable,  and  therefore  no  longer 
binding.  Then,  again,  all  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus 
are  free  from  the  curse  of  a  broken  law,  because 
Jesus  '  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the 
tree,'  and  thus  became  the  curse  for  them. 
Thus  the  punishment  of  a  broken  law  cannot 
be  inflicted  upon  the  Christian,  and  only  in  this 
sense  is  it  true  that  any  man  is  '  free  from  the 
law.'     This  I  believe  to  be  Paul's  meaning  in 


58  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

the  text,  '  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law  but 
under  grace.' 

"  All  the  great  moral  and  fundamental 
laws  of  the  Bible,  which  are  applicable  now, 
are  just  as  binding  now  as  when  they  were 
first  given ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that 
their  adaptability  to  all  ages  and  conditions 
of  society  is  recognized  by  all  civilized  govern- 
ments. No  person  can  say  that  ten  per  cent, 
of  the  income  of  God's  people  was  more  needed 
in  olden  days  than  now.  The  Church  then 
had  a  very  narrow  sphere ;  it  was  confined, 
for  the  most  part,  to  the  Jews,  for  they  knew 
nothing  of  missionary  enterprise.  When  the 
Church  had  this  narrow  sphere,  and  was  so 
circumscribed,  God  demanded  the  tenth  of  His 
people's  earnings  to  carry  it  on ;  but  now,  with 
the  ever  widening  field  for  Christian  activity, 
if  there  is  any  need  for  change,  it  would  be 
that  the  sum  to  be  contributed  be  larger  rather 
than  smaller. 

''  The  world  is  now  open  for  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Cross,  and  the  teeming 
millions  of  the  earth's  population  are  crying, 


or^  Light  from  Tny  Forge.  59 

^  Come  over  and  help  us,'  and  their  hearts  are 
saying,  '  Men  and  brethren,  what  must  we  do 
to  be  saved  ?  '  There  are,  in  our  own  large 
cities  and  centres  of  civilization,  tens  of  thou- 
sands who  are  practically  as  heathen  as  the 
heathens  of  Africa,  and  the  Gospel  must  be 
taken  to  these  home  heathens.  The  demand 
for  tracts.  Bibles  and  missionaries  was  never 
so  great  as  now;  and,  although  the  liberality 
of  Christian  people  is  on  the  increase,  yet  the 
Church  of  God  cannot  respond  to  the  demands 
of  the  hour,  and  tens  of  thousands  are  living 
and  dying  without  Christ,  and  the  Church 
goes  a-begging,  and  the  people  continue  to 
perish.  There  are  very  few  churches  carrying 
on  even  their  present  home  enterprises  with 
the  voluntary  givings  of  the  people,  and  none 
of  them  can  enter  all  the  doors  which  are 
continually  opening  to  them.  The  missionary 
field  is  restricted,  the  field  for  labor  is  limited, 
all  because  the  means  are  not  forthcoming 
to  carry  on  the  work  of  God.  Not  only  is 
there  a  great  lack  of  funds  for  missionary  enter- 
prises,   but    how    many    local     churches     are 


6o  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

there  that  can  pay  their  own  local  and  legiti- 
mate expenses  from  the  voluntary  givings  of 
the  people  ? 

"  We  find  the  Church  of  God  descending 
to  business  methods  in  order  to  raise  money 
enough  to  pay  its  expenses ;  hence,  we  have 
tea-meetings,  bazaars,  concerts,  and,  what  is 
still  more  abhorrent,  kissing  parties,  voting, 
lotteries,  dumb  socials,  necktie  parties,  and  all 
sorts  of  schemes  to  raise  money ;  while  the  vast 
majority  rob  God  of  His  tithes,  and  hypocrit- 
ically sing : 

*  Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small ; 
Ivove  so  amazing,  so  divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all.' 

If  Christian  people  would  live  up  to  the  Bible 
demand,  and  pay  God  one-tenth  of  their  in- 
come, there  would  be  no  need  for  such  methods 
of  raising  money — there  would  be  enough  and 
to  spare ;  and  I  believe  the  millennium  would 
soon  be  upon  us ;  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world   is,  in    my   opinion,   now  reduced  to    a 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  6i 

question  of  money.  We  liave  the  men  and 
women  whose  hearts  God  has  touched,  and 
whose  souls  are  aflame  with  missionary  zeal ; 
we  have  a  Gospel  that  meets  the  requirements 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men ;  full  pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world,  '  For  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved. ^  How  then  shall 
they  call  on  Him  in  whom  they  have  not  be- 
lieved ?  And  how  shall  they  believe  in  Him 
of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  And  how  shall 
they  hear  without  a  preacher  ?  And  how  shall 
they  preach  except  they  be  sent  ?  And  how 
can  they  be  sent  without  money  ?  And  how 
can  they  get  the  rhoney  except  it  be  given 
them  in  God's  appointed  way,  by  the  tithes 
of  the  people  'who  have  heard  the  joyful 
sound  ?  '  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  doubtful  if 
the  givings  of  Christian  people  amount  to  three 
per  cent.,  whereas  the  demand  of  the  Bible  is 
ten  per  cent. 

''  Now,  I  ask,  if  God  demanded  a  tenth  of 
the  earnings  of  His  people  under  the  Old  Tes- 
tament dispensation,  surely  He  cannot  demand 


62  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

a  less  sum  now.  If  there  were  no  New  Testa- 
ment endorsation  of  giving  ten  per  cent.,  would 
not  the  law,  given  in  the  Old  Testament  for 
the  maintenance  of  God's  Church,  be  binding 
upon  Christian  men  under  this  dispensation  ? 
Who  would  dare  say  that  such  a  reasonable 
demand,  a  demand  which  had  worked  so  well 
in  the  past,  both  as  to  those  who  paid  tithes 
and  the  cause  which  received  them,  is  now 
done  away  with  ? 

"  God  has  so  arranged  in  nature,  that  all 
the  needs  of  nature  are  met  by  adequate  sup- 
plies ;  shall  God  be  inconsistent  with  Himself, 
and  make  provision  for  His  Church  less  than 
her  needs  ?  But  under  the  present  spasmodic 
and  hap-hazard  way  of  supporting  His  cause, 
the  needs  of  the  Gospel,  of  humanity,  and  of 
benevolence,  are  not  met ;  and,  as  near  as  can 
be  figured,  if  all  the  people  adopted  the  Bible 
plan,  the  revenue  of  the  Church  would  be  in- 
creased nearly,  if  not  quite,  fourfold  ;  and  if 
this  were  to  happen,  the  supply  would  equal 
the  demand,  and  the  purposes  of  God  would 
then  be  accomplished.     But  fortunately,  under 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  63 

the  new  dispensation,  '  God  has  not  left  Him- 
self without  witnesses ; '  and,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  this  commandment  is  not  without  New 
Testament  sanction — very  much  stronger  sanc- 
tion than  we  have  for  keeping  holy  one  day  in 
seven.  Please  read  Matthew  xxiii.  23  :  "  Woe 
unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for 
ye  pay  tithe  of  mint,  and  anise,  and  cummin, 
and  have  omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the 
law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith:  these  ought 
ye  to  have  done^  and  not  to  leave  the  other  un- 
done.' 

"  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  were  so  particular 
about  tithing  their  earnings,  that  they  brought 
it  down  to  the  most  insignificant  matters,  and 
tithed  the  very  herbs.  We  learn  from  this 
quotation,  that  even  when  they  neglected  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  such  as  judg- 
ment, mercy,  and  faith,  they  did  not  neglect 
to  tithe  their  incomes,  undoubtedly  keeping  to 
this  tithing  habit  since  they  learned  that  there 
was  money  in  it;  just  as  men  will  continue  to 
sow  their  crops,  and  expect  God  to  bless  the 
seed  sown,  whether  they  have  religion  or  not ; 


64  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

just  as  worldly  men  in  these  days  subscribe 
to  the  building  fund  of  a  church,  for  the  rea- 
son that  the  church  will  increase  the  value  of 
their  property.  '  For  the  children  of  this 
world  are  wiser  in  their  generation  than  the 
children  of  light ; '  so  these  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees had  learned,  that  it  was  a  law  of  God  to 
pay  a  tenth  of  their  income,  and  that  this  tenth 
bore  the  same  relation  to  money  as  seed  does 
to  a  crop.  In  other  words,  they  believed  that 
earthly  prosperity  had  been  promised  to  the 
man  who  would  tithe  his  income,  regardless  of 
his  moral  character,  in  the  same  way  as  '  God 
maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the 
good.'  Now,  you  will  notice  in  this  quotation 
that  Jesus  states,  that  they  ought  to  tithe  their 
incomes,  as  they  did,  but  that  they  ought  not 
to  neglect  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law, 
judgment,  mercy  and  faith.  If  you  strictly 
analyze  this  quotation,  you  will  see  that  it  is  a 
direct  endorsation  of  the  law  of  the  tithe. 

''  The  story  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican 
I  take  as  at  least  an  indirect  endorsation  of 
paving:  ten  pei  cent,   of  our  income  to  God. 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  65 

The  Pharisee  boasted  of  the  fact  that  he  fasted 
twice  in  the  week,  and  gave  tithes  of  all  he 
possessed,  and  thanked  God  that  he  was  not 


THE    PUBLICAN. 


an  extortioner,  nor  an  adulterer;  while  the 
Publican,  standing  afar  off,  smote  upon  his 
breast,    saying,    '  God   be    merciful  to   me,   a 


sinner. 


66  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

*'Now,  you  will  please  notice  that  each  of 
the  things  which  the  Pharisee  thanked  God 
for  was  good :  he  thanked  God  that  he  was 
not  addicted  to  the  vices  mentioned,  that  he 
fasted  twice  in  the  week,  and  gave  tithes  of 
all  he  possessed,  that  is,  gloried  in  his  self- 
righteousness.  Notice,  that  the  language  put 
into  the  Pharisee's  mouth  by  the  Saviour 
makes  him  ^  abhor  that  which  is  evil,  and  cleave 
to  that  which  is  good,'  and  one  of  the  good 
things  which  he  glories  in  is  the  fact  that  he 
pays  tithes.  It  was  not  what  this  man  did 
that  Jesus  condemned,  but  the  fact  that  he  ex- 
pected to  be  saved  by  his  good  works  ;  whereas 
the  Publican  understood  the  plan  of  salvation, 
and  leaned  wholly  upon  the  mercy  of  God.  I 
take  it  that  this  story  is  an  endorsation  of  the 
Old  Testament  commandment.  As  I  look 
into  this  story,  it  affords  much  stronger  evi- 
dence of  the  position  I  take  concerning  the 
New  Testament  endorsation  of  the  tithe  than 
I  first  thought. 

"  The  force  of  this  illustration  is  increased 
tenfold  when  we  clearly  see  what  Christ  wishes 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  67 

to  illustrate.  The  Pharisees  were  a  self-right- 
eous sect ;  they  were  sticklers  for  keeping  the 
letter  of  the  law,  and  held  that  salvation  came 
only  that  way.  Theirs  was  pre-eminently  a 
salvation  by  works ;  they  were  the  advocates 
of  the  letter  of  '  the  law  given  by  Moses/  and 
when  '  grace  and  truth  '  came  by  Jesus  Christ, 
the  new  doctrine  was  bitterly  opposed  by  them. 
The  teaching  of  Jesus,  as  explained  by  Paul, 
was  :  ^  Therefore  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  there 
shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in  His  sight,  for  by 
the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin.' 

"  To  enforce  this  idea,  and  to  emphasize  the 
truth  that  salvation  is  wholly  of  the  mercy  of 
God,  He  told  this  story  of  the  Pharisee  and  the 
Publican.  He  represents  the  most  perfect 
man  He  can  find  from  the  law's  standpoint ; 
He  invests  him  with  the  best  qualities  possible, 
and  makes  him  the  faithful  observer  of  the 
laws  that  are  at  the  very  root  of  human  wel- 
fare ;  he  was  a  man  of  prayer ;  he  was  honest 
with  his  fellows;  he  was  just  to  all;  he  was 
chaste  and  virtuous ;  he  was  so  devout  that  he 
fasted  twice  in  the  week,  and  he  gave  tithes 


68  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

of  all  he  possessed.  Thus,  when  Jesus  would 
picture  a  man  who  was  as  good  as  he  could  be 
without  the  grace  of  God,  He  makes  him  a 
man  who  pays  tithes,  and  tithing  is  associated 
in  the  same  rank  of  merit  as  prayer  and  devo- 
tion, as  justice  and  honesty,  as  virtue  and 
chastity.  Thus  Jesus  appro\  es  of  tithing  as 
He  does  the  other  good  things,  which  are  not 
disputed. 

"Again,  we  learn  from  Hebrews  that  Jesus 
is  made  an  high  priest  forever  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek,  and  not  a  priest  after  the  order 
of  Aaron.  Jesus,  then,  is  in  the  line  of  Mel- 
chizedek, and  Abraham  paid  tithes  to  him. 
Now,  if  Jesus  stands  in  the  same  relation  to 
the  world  as  Melchizedek  did,  it  is  clearly  our 
duty  to  give  a  tenth  of  our  income  to  Jesus, 
just  as  Abraham  did  to  Melchizedek.  I  refer 
you  particularly  to  the  seventh  chapter  of 
Hebrews  for  a  clear  discussion  of  the  priest- 
hood of  Jesus,  showing  that  it  is  in  the  Mel- 
chizedekan  line,  and  of  a  much  higher  order 
than  the  Levitical  priesthood.  The  latter 
seems  to  have  been  limited  to  the  Jews  merely, 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  69 

and  each  priest  held  the  office  for  life  only  ;  but 
this  wonderful  and  mysterious  Melchizedek 
seems  to  have  had  a  universal  priesthood.  He 
was  the  king  of  the  notorious  Canaanites  at 
Salem,  as  well  as  priest  of  the  most  high  God. 
His  priestly  office  extended  over  Jews  as  well 
as  Gentiles,  for  he  officially  blessed  Abraham, 
the  father  of  the  faithful ;  and  the  fact  of  Abra- 
ham humbly  and  gladly  accepting  his  blessing, 
and  paying  him  tithes  of  all,  shows  that  he  was 
greater  than  '  he  that  had  the  promises,'  and 
Abraham  acknowledged  Melchizedek  as  stand- 
ing in  the  place  of  God. 

''  Then  his  priestly  office  had  no  end,  but 
made  like  untc  the  Son  of  God,  abideth  a  priest 
continually.  Now,  consider  how  great  this 
man  was,  unto  whom  even  the  patriarch  Abra- 
ham gave  the  tenth  of  the  spoils  ;  and  here  men 
that  die  receive  tithes,  but  there  he  receiveth 
them,  of  whom  it  is  witnessed  that  he  liveth. 
And  it  is  yet  far  more  evident,  for  that  after 
the  similitude  of  Melchizedek  there  ariseth 
another  priest  who  is  made  not  after  the  law 
of  a  carnal  commandment,  but  after  the  power 


70  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

of  an  endless  life  ;  for  he  testifieth, '  Thou  art  a 
priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.' 

"  Several  things  are  very  clear  from  this 
chapter :  Melchizedek  was  a  king,  Jesus  is  a 
king ;  Melchizedek  was  a  priest  with  universal 
jurisdiction,  whose  office  and  functions  should 
last  forever ;  Jesus  is  a  priest  forever  after  the 
same  order.  One  of  the  requirements  of  this 
priestly  office  was,  that  the  people  should  pay 
tithes — a  requirement  which  was  met  with 
gladness  and  profit  by  '  the  father  of  the  faith- 
ful,' and  since  then  by  all  who  have  been  *  like 
minded.'  And  inasmuch  as  the  office  and  its 
functions  overlap  and  extend  beyond  every 
other  dispensation,  and  survive  all  other  priestly 
authority,  its  heavenly  authority  and  demands 
not  being  affected  by  time,  then  it  is  as  clear 
as  the  noonday  sun  that  Jesus  demands  tithes 
of  all  the  people  as  a  right ;  and  when  the  tithe 
is  paid,  then  giving  or  benevolence  can  start. 

"  I  dare  to  affirm  that  the  Christian  man  is 
under  the  same  obligation  to  keep  this  com« 
mand  of  God,  to  give  a  tenth  of  his  income,  as 
he  is  to  keep  any  other  law,  as  he  is  to  tell  the 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  yr 

truth,  or  to  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day.  Each 
law  of  God  is  equally  binding  on  the  heart  and 
conscience  of  every  good  man.  If  it  be  proven 
that  God  demands  a  tenth  of  our  income,  as  I 
think  I  have  proven,  then  it  should  bind  the 
conscience  of  all  among  us.'' 

I  here  concluded  my  first  talk  amid  cries  of 
*'  Go  on,  go  on  ;  we  are  not  tired."  But,  if  they 
were  not,  I  was ;  so  I  promised  to  give  another 
talk  on  the  same  question  the  next  evening. 


Hon.  JOHN  MACDONALD. 

Mr.  Macdonald  was  born  in  Perthshire,  Scotland,  in  1824.  He 
started  in  Canada,  a  poor  clerk.  From  the  beginning  he  gave  a 
tenth  to  God,  and  hence,  we  believe,  his  marvellous  success.  He 
is  an  earnest  Christian  worker,  and  a  great  giver.  No  person 
knows  the  full  extent  of  his  givings.  As  this  note  is  written  a 
gift  of  $40,000  from  him  is  announced  towards  the  erection  of  a 
Hospital  at  Toronto,  Canada. 
(72) 


TALK  No.  2. 
Who  Should  Tithe? 

Our  company  in  the  blacksmith's  shop  had 
returned  to  hear  what  further  remarks  I  had 
to  make  concerning  '^  systematic  giving."  I 
had  no  idea  in  commencing  the  talk  on  this 
subject,  that  it  would  extend  to  another  even- 
ing, but  there  were  so  many  things  pressed 
upon  my  mind — so  many  Biblical  and  other 
considerations  as  I  warmed  to  the  subject — 
that  I  found  it  was  impossible  to  get  through 
on  the  first  evening,  and  so  by  the  unanimous 
request  of  all  present,  I  agreed  to  resume  the 
conversation  on  the  following  evening. 

The  prominent  business  man  from  our 
neighboring  city  drove  all  the  way  out  from 
his  place  of  business  on  purpose  to  be  present 
at  the  next  conversation,  and  all  who  were 
there  previously  were  on  hand  again.  They 
also  brought  others  including  two  more 
preachers,  so  that  all  the  boxes,  boards   and 

6  (73) 


74  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

barrels  we  could  find  around  the  place  were 
brought  into  requisition  for  seats,  and  then  a 
number  had  to  stand.  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
during  the  day  to  talk  this  evening  on  the 
question : 

WHO   ARE   UNDER   OBLIGATION    TO    TITHE 
THEIR   INCOMES  ? 

I  made  my  first  proposition,  namely,  that  all 
intelligent  men  are  obligated  to  keep  this  com- 
mand as  laid  down  in  the  Bible.  On  stating 
this  proposition  I  thought  I  saw  looks  of  dis- 
sent in  the  Doctor's  face,  so  I  asked  him  to 
give  us  the  benefit  of  his  thoughts  on  that 
subject,  whereupon  he  said,  that  ''  if  all  are 
under  obligation  to  give  ten  per  cent,  of  their 
incomes,  the  law  would  be  unjust,  for  while 
some  could  give  a  tenth  very  readily,  it  would 
be  simply  oppression  in  the  case  of  others. 
Ten  per  cent,  to  some  is  really  less  than  five 
per  cent,  to  others,  and  God  surely  cannot 
make  such  an  unjust  and  unequal  demand 
upon  his  people."     He  also  stated  that  ^'  the 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  75 

New  Testament  gives  people  perfect  freedom 
as  to  wliat  they  shall  give,  and  each  is  ex- 
pected to  give  according  as  he  has  been  pros- 
pered." 

These  objections  were  argued  at  some  length. 
I  listened  very  attentively  to  the  Doctor's 
remarks,  and  then,  without  being  the  least 
flurried,  for  I  felt  perfectly  sure  of  the  position 
I  had  taken,  I  proceeded  as  follows : 

"  So  far  as  I  can  understand  the  Bible,  the 
command  to  give  a  tenth  is  addressed  to  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  and  it  is  a  uni- 
versal obligation.  I  find  that  the  priests 
and  Levites  were  required  to  tithe  their  tithes, 
or  to  pay  a  tenth  of  their  income.  Their 
income  was  derived  from  the  tithes  of  the 
people,  yet  these  same  priests  and  Levites  were 
required  to  pay  to  God  ten  per  cent,  of  their 
income. 

"  The  Bible  makes  no  exception  whatever ; 
the  command  is  as  universal  as  '  Thou  shalt  not 
steal,'  or  'Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before 
me.'  Each  man  is  commanded  to  bring  in  his 
tithes,  no  matter  what  his  condition  may  be,, 


^6  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

whether  he  be  rich  or  poor,  in  debt  or  free 
from  debt ;  nor  can  I  find  that  any  profession 
whatsoever  is  exempt.  Poor  men  are  under  the 
same  obligation  to  pay  their  tithes  to  God  as 
rich  men. 

''  Our  good  friend,  the  Doctor,  has  argued 
that  it  would  be  a  small  matter  for  the  man  in 
receipt  of  a  large  salary  to  give  the  tenth,  while 
it  would  be  an  infliction  upon  the  man  who 
earned  just  enough  to  live  upon.  He  states 
that  a  man  in  receipt  of  four  thousand  dollars 
per  annum  could  give  four  hundred  of  it  to 
the  Lord  with  much  less  sacrifice  than  a  man 
in  receipt  of  four  hundred  dollars  per  annum 
could  give  forty  of  it  to  the  Lord. 

"  I  admit  that  the  Doctor's  argument  looks 
logical,  but  I  assure  you  that  it  is  a  fallacy  if 
you  get  below  the  surface.  This  you  will 
readily  see  from  the  following  considerations 
upon  a  parallel  case  :  God  commands  us  to  give 
Him  one  day  in  each  seven  days,  which  is 
over  fourteen  per  cent,  of  our  time.  Time 
is  essentially  money  to  ninety-nine  per  cent, 
of  us ;  and,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  objec- 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  77 

tion,  it  is  a  very  sore  affliction  for  mechanics 
and  laboring  men  to  lose  one  day's  wages  in 
seven  days,  by  being  compelled  not  to  work  on 
that  day  by  a  law  of  God. 

"  Take  a  man  earning  one  dollar  a  day,  and 
by  God's  direct  command  he  is  required  to 
give  one  day  in  seven  to  Him,  and  forfeit 
one-seventh  of  his  income,  or  over  fourteen 
per  cent.,  amounting  in  one  year  to  the  large 
sum  of  fifty-two  dollars.  This  is  a  larger  sum 
than  many  wealthy  men  give  in  money  ;  and 
yet  this  poor  man,  who  can  hardly  give  his 
family  sufficient  food  and  clothing,  is  required 
by  Divine  law  to  give  the  same  proportion  of 
his  time  to  God  as  a  rich  man.  Without  taking 
the  great  God  into  consideration,  and  reasoning 
apart  from  experience,  nearly  everybody  would 
say  that  such  a  law  is  monstrously  unjust; 
but  reasoning  as  we  do  from  the  historic 
standpoint,  with  the  centuries  behind  us,  hav- 
ing at  our  command  the  experience  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  with  the  testimony  of  the 
great  and  the  good ;  in  fact,  with  the  universal 
testimony  of  the  ages  in  favor  of  the  Sabbath 


78  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

day  for  man  and  beast,  we  all  say  that  this 
law  is  wise  and  good,  and  good  in  proportion 
as  a  man  may  be  weak  in  '  mind,  body  or 
estate ; '  a  blessed  provision  for  the  rich  and 
strong,  and  an  indispensable  boon  for  the  poor 
and  needy. 

"  Now  then,  in  view  of  this,  would  you  ad- 
vise the  man  with  four  thousand  dollars  per 
annum  to  give  one-seventh  of  his  time  to  God 
and  advise  the  other,  with  four  hundred  dol- 
lars per  annum,  to  work  that  day  simply 
because  he  was  poor  ?  Certainly  not ;  and  the 
reason  lies  in  this,  that  in  some  way  or  other, 
by  actual  experiment  on  the  part  of  individuals 
and  nations,  a  man  can  accomplish  more  in  his 
lifetime  by  giving  fourteen  per  cent,  of  his 
time  to  God,  or  by  working  six  days  a  week 
and  giving  God  the  seventh,  than  he  can  by 
working  seven  days  a  week. 

"  The  only  way  to  account  for  it  is  because 
it  is  a  law  of  God;  and  the  same  reason- 
ing applies  to  the  tithe.  If  God  demands  forty 
dollars  per  annum  from  the  man  who  receives 
only  four  hundred  dollars,  then  certainly  the 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  79 

remaining  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  will 
go  a  great  deal  further  than  the  four  hundred 
would  if  all  were  kept. 

"  The  whole  subject  hinges  upon  the  ques- 
tion, ^  Does  God  require  it  ?  '  The  Bible  is  our 
authority,  and  it  is  accepted  as  such  by  each 
one  of  you,  and  I  think  that  there  is  no  duty 
mentioned  in  the  Bible  more  distinctly  than 
the  duty  of  giving  the  tenth  unto  the  Lord. 
We  have  seen  it  commanded  and  practised  un- 
der each  dispensation  ;  the  good  in  all  ages  have 
practised  it,  and  it  comes  to  us  with  all  the 
authority  of  a  'thus  saith  the  Lord.'  Patri- 
archs, prophets,  priests  and  kings  have  taught 
it  by  precept  and  example. 

"It  is  always  safe  to  do  what  God  bids  us 
without  asking  questions,  but  more  particularly 
is  this  the  case  when  experience  bears  such 
unequivocal  testimony  to  the  profit  of  keeping 
this  command.  Verily  '  godliness  is  profitable 
unto  all  things  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is  ; '  and  the  Bible  distinctly  says,  '  There 
is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth  ;  and  there 
is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it 


8o  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

tendeth  to  poverty.'  Again,  ^  He  that  giveth 
to  the  poor  lendeth  to  the  Lord ; '  and,  as  Dean 
Swift  once  said,  in  preaching  a  charity  sermon 
from  this  text,  *  If  you  accept  the  security, 
down  with  the  dust.' 

''  Let  us  put  it  another  way.  Which  farmer 
is  under  the  greater  obligation  to  put  in  a 
plentiful  crop,  the  poor  man  or  the  'rich  man  ? 
The  Bible  distinctly  compares  giving  to  sow- 
ing, and  says,  *  He  that  soweth  sparingly  shall 
also  reap  sparingly,  and  he  that  soweth  boun- 
tifully shall  reap  also  bountifully.'  The  Apos- 
tle uses  this  in  strict  reference  to  money ;  Paul 
uses  it  in  connection  with  directions  concerning 
taking  a  collection,  and  it  was  one  of  his  argu- 
ments when  he  wanted  a  liberal  contribution 
for  the  saints.  He  tells  the  Corinthians  that 
God  will  bless  them  with  money  in  proportion 
as  they  give  money  to  His  cause ;  he  urges 
them  to  give  liberally  and  cheerfully,  and  backs 
up  his  exhortations  by  saying,  '  And  God  is 
able  to  make  all  grace  abound  toward  you,  that 
ye  always,  having  all  sufficiency  in  all  things > 
may  abound  to  every  good  work.' 


- —    ■ '.^^ 7^^x^'--«^^>^5r^^^ 


THE  SOWER. 


(8i) 


82  The  Path  to    Wealth  ;  . 

''It  is  most  astonishing  how  blind  hosts  of 
Christians  are  when  they  read  the  Bible! 
These  rich  promises  of  material  prosperity  are 
either  not  noticed,  or  when  they  are,  they  are 
very  rarely  taken  in  their  plain  and  obvious 
sense,  as  God  states  them ;  some  forced,  and 
generally  figurative  or  spiritual  interpretation 
is  put  upon  them;  and  poor  Christian  men 
who  will  loan  their  money  to  a  bank  and  sleep 
in  perfect  assurance  of  getting  it  when  they 
need  it,  worry  themselves  beyond  measure  for 
fear  they  may  give  too  much  to  God's  cause, 
and  may  ultimately  come  to  want,  in  spite  of 
the  many  strong  and  explicit  declarations  of 
the  Bible,  that  the  way  to  get  is  to  give.  Solo- 
mon said,  '  He  that  hath  pity  upon  the  poor 
lendeth  unto  the  Lord,  and  that  which  he  hath 
given  will  He  pay  him  again.'  A  greater  than 
Solomon  said,  '  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you,  good  measure,  pressed  down  and  shaken 
together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give 
into  your  bosom.' 

''  The  same  amount  of  faith  exercised  in  the 
Bible,  as  business  men  use  with  one  another 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  83 

day  by  day,  would  soon  convince  ^he  poorest 
Cliristian  man  that  his  financial  success  is 
guaranteed  by  the  great  God  on  the  condition 
that  he  '  lays  up  his  treasure  in  lieaven,  where 
neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where 
thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal.'  If 
these  promises  and  statements  mean  anything, 
and  if  the  Bible  can  be  trusted  even  a  little, 
then  it  is  certain  that  the  only  way  for  a  poor 
man  to  get  better  off — the  only  way  for  a  man 
in  receipt  of  four  hundred  dollars  a  year  to  get 
that  amount  increased — is  to  tithe  that  which 
he  does  get ;  for  the  express  condition  of  a 
plentiful  blessing,  both  temporal  and  spiritual, 
is  to  '  bring  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,' 
or  to  put  in  a  plentiful  crop. 

"  Reasoning  without  experience,  it  seems  a 
very  foolish  thing  for  a  farmer  to  take  the  little 
grain  which  he  may  have  left  and  during  seed 
time  deliberately  throw  that  grain  away,  hand- 
ful after  handful.  Particularly  would  this  be 
so  if  he  had  not  enough  grain  to  provide  bread 
for  his  family  during  the  year.  If  a  stranger, 
who  had  no  experience  in  the  laws  of  vegeta- 


84  Th£  Path  to   Wealth; 

tion  and  growth,  were  to  come  to  this  earth,  he 
would  surely  say  that  the  man  was  very  foolish 
to  thus  throw  away  deliberately  the  bread 
which  he  needed  for  his  family ;  and  yet,  if  he 
would  stay  until  the  harvest,  he  would  learn 
that  the  grain  thus  sown  had  increased,  '  some 
thirty,  some  sixty,  and  some  a  hundredfold,^ 
and  that  it  was  the  highest  wisdom  that 
prompted  that  farmer  to  throw  away  the  little 
grain  he  had,  for  by  giving  he  got ;  while  if  he 
had  kept  it,  he  would  have  lost  the  little  which 
he  had. 

''Now  God  distinctly  states  that  giving 
money  to  His  cause  bears  the  same  relation 
to  wealth  as  giving  seed  to  the  ground  does 
to  a  plentiful  harvest.  '  He  that  soweth 
bountifully  shall  reap  bountifully,  and  he 
that  soweth  sparingly  shall  also  reap  spar- 
ingly.'  This  is  said  in  reference  to  money. 
God  promises  dollars  for  dollars,  and  if  a 
man  has  faith  enough  in  God's  promises 
to  sow  the  proper  amount  of  wealth  seed, 
God  will  surely  honor  him  with  a  crop  just 
as    he    honors    the    farmer,   who    sows     the 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  85 

proper  amount  of  grain  per  acre  with  good 
crops. 

*'  I  shall  perhaps  surprise  you  by  making 
even  a  stronger  proposition,  namely : 

A    MAN    IN    DEBT    IS    UNDER    OBLIGATION    TO 
PAY   A   TENTH   OF   HIS   INCOME  TO   GOD, 

and  to  yield  to  God  the  first  fruits  of  that 
income,  or  pay  God  his  tenth  before  touching 
any  part  of  the  remaining  nine-tenths."  This 
seemed  too  much  for  the  shoemaker,  and  with 
much  warmth  he  stated,  "  You  cannot  make 
me  believe  that ;  charity  begins  at  home,  and  a 
man  must  be  just  before  he  is  generous  ;  a  man 
who  does  not  pay  his  debts  is  a  dishonest  man, 
and  the  money  a  man  gets  who  is  in  debt  does 
not  belong  to  him  but  belongs  to  his  creditors, 
and  for  him  to  give  away  this  money  to  the 
Church  or  to  the  poor  is  dishonest,  and  God 
cannot  accept  of  any  such  offerings." 

I  smiled  at  this  earnest  remark  of  my  good 
friend,  the  shoemaker,  and  proceeded.  "  If  the 
overhanging   black  cloud  of  debt,   the    cloud 


S6  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

which  has  cursed  many  an  eloquent  minister's 
usefulness,  and  blighted  the  happiness  and 
ruined  the  hopes  of  many  a  Christian  man,, 
could  be  represented,  say  by  a  weight  of  ten 
thousand  pounds,  I  firmly  believe  that  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  of  it  is  caused 
by  robbing  God  of  his  dues,  and  it  may  be  that 
the  remaining  two  thousand  five  hundred 
pounds  is  the  result  of  improvidence. 

"  Sometimes  povert}^  is  a  misfortune  over 
which  the  pious  poor  have  no  control ;  at  other 
times  it  is  a  blessing  from  God ;  but  both  of 
these  conditions  are,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  exceptional,  inasmuch  as  the  rule  must 
of  necessity  be  that  the  children  of  the  king 
are  well  provided  for,  and  the  normal  and 
ordinary  condition  of  God's  obedient  children 
is  that  of  comfort.  Confirmed  poverty  or 
financial  disaster,  for  the  most  part,  is  blame- 
worthy ;  and,  taking  the  Bible  for  our  guide, 
it  is  clear  that  these  things  are  sent  upon  us 
more  often  to  punish  us  for  our  sins  than  to 
bless  us,  excepting  as  punishment  may  cause 
us  to  forsake  the  sins  that  brought  upon  us 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge,  87 

our  disasters.  In  such  cases  punishment  itself 
is  a  blessing. 

"  A  man  in  debt  is  weak  at  some  point  or 
other,  and  probably  disobedient  to  God  as  well 
as  weak.  Now,  if  he  would  free  himself  from 
this  intolerable  burden,  he  had  better  take  a 
partner  into  his  business,  who,  upon  the  receipt 
of  one-tenth  of  the  profits,  pledges  himself  for 
the  prosperity  of  that  business.  God  certainly 
agrees  to  do  this,  and  any  man  who  professes 
to  have  faith  in  His  precious  promises  must 
take  Him  at  His  word.  A  man  in  debt,  a 
farmer,  for  instance,  would  exercise  false 
economy,  and  would  be  really  dishonest  with 
his  creditors,  if  he  should  sell  his  seed  wheat 
and  seed  potatoes,  and  pay  the  proceeds  to 
the  liquidation  of  his  debt ;  for  by  so  doing  he 
would  be  cutting  off  the  very  means  he  had  of 
paying  his  obligations. 

"  I  think  the  analogy  holds  good  in  the  case 
of  a  man  who  takes  his  seed  money — that 
which  belongs  to  God — and  pays  his  debts  with 
it.  He  also  is  practically  dishonest  although 
he  may  not  seem   to  be ;   for,  by  paying  his 


88  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

tithes,  lie  has  God's  promise  that  he  shall  be 
^  blessed  in  his  basket  and  in  his  store.'  God 
has  distinctly  promised  that  if  we  bring  in  all 
the  tithes  into  the  store-house,  He  will  '  pour 
us  out  a  blessing  that  there  shall  not  be  room 
enough  to  receive  it.^ 

"  Again,  when  a  man  is  in  debt,  it  is  right 
for  him  to  pay  that  debt  first  which  seems  to 
have  the  greatest  claim  upon  him.  There  are 
certain  obligations  which  appeal  to  a  debtor's 
honor  more  than  others,  and  a  sensitive  man 
always  gives  these  obligations  the  preference. 
Surely,  if  God  demands  the  tithe  of  His 
people,  then  it  is  a  legitimate  debt,  and  a 
debtor  is  under  at  least  equal  obligation  to 
pay  this  debt  as  he  is  to  pay  other  debts  ; 
and,  under  all  the  circumstances,  I  think  all 
will  admit  that  this  is  a  debt  which  appeals 
to  his  generosity  and  sense  of  right-dealing 
more  than  any  other,  and  by  paying  it  first 
he  consults  the  true  interest  of  the  other  credi- 
tors. 

"  Again,  a  man  in  debt  must  not  pay  his 
debts  at  the  expense  of  starving  his  family  ;  he 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  89 

must  feed  his  children.  Nor  is  he  justified  in 
starving  himself.  He  is  surely  under  obliga- 
tion to  give  his  children  a  certain  amount  of 
education.  He  is  also  under  obligation  to 
supply  their  spiritual  and  mental  requirements 
in  the  same  way  as  he  is  bound  to  supply 
their  physical  wants.  The  same  remark  ap- 
plies to  his  own  spiritual  and  mental  require- 
ments. 

"  Now,  God  has  commanded  that  one-tenth 
of  a  man's  income  shall  be  devoted  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  spiritual  nature  of  himself,  his 
family,  the  community  and  the  world ;  for,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  money  thus  given  will  help 
to  evangelize  the  world,  and,  on  the  other,  his 
own  spiritual  nature  is  cultivated  by  works  of 
benevolence  and  charity. 

''But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  strongest  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  a  man  in  debt  paying  tithes 
to  God  is  the  fact  that  he  has  God's  promise 
that,  by  paying  Him  first,  he  will  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  pay  every  other  creditor.  God  certainly 
promises  to  put  all  men  in  that  position  who 
will  obey  Him,  and  any  man  who  is  not  sham- 


90  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

ming  faith  in  God's  precious  promises  must 
take  Him  at  His  word.  We  trust  God's  prom- 
ises for  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins  and  for 
taking  us  to  heaven ;  and,  since  we  trust 
Him  for  the  greater,  why  is  it  that  we  cannot 
trust  Him  for  the  lesser  ?  The  man  who  risks 
his  all  upon  the  promises  of  God  which  are  to 
be  fulfilled  during  this  life,  will  find  that  his 
faith  is  mightily  increased  in  the  promises 
which  are  not  fulfilled  until  death.  If  I  am  to 
trust  a  man  for  a  very  large  sum,  I  can  do  so 
with  much  more  assurance,  if  I  have  been 
doing  business  with  him  in  a  small  way,  and 
have  found  him  true  to  his  word.  This  is 
precisely  the  experience  of  men  who  trust  God 
in  regard  to  earthly  or  material  promises,  '  for 
God  is  not  slack  concerning  His  promises.' 

''  Ye  men  in  debt,  it  is  time  that  you  learned 
the  Bible  truth  that  the  way  to  get  is  to  give, 
and  the  way  to  lose  is  to  keep  what  you  have, 
for  '  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increas- 
eth  ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than 
is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty.'  There  is 
a  story  in  the  Bible  which,  in  some  measure, 


6>r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  91 

illustrates  this  truth :  There  was  a  great 
famine  in  a  certain  land;  no  rain  had  fallen 
for  years ;  the  cattle  were  all  dying ;  vegeta- 
tion was  all  parched ;  the  streams  had  all 
dried  up ;  the  wells  were  all  empty ;  men  and 
beasts  were  dying  by  the  thousands.  During 
these  troublous  and  trying  times,  a  prophet  of 
God,  when  on  a  journey,  saw  a  poor  woman 
outside  of  her  cottage  gathering  sticks,  and 
he  addressed  her  thus  :  '  Bring,  I  pray  thee,  a 
morsel  of  bread  in  thine  hand ; '  and  she  said, 
'As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,  I  have  not  a 
cake,  but  an  handful  of  meal  in  a  barrel,  and 
a  little  oil  in  a  cruse ;  and  behold,  I  am  gather- 
ing two  sticks,  that  I  may  go  in  and  dress 
it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we  may  eat  it  and 
die; 

"And  the  man  of  God  said,  'Fear  not,  go 
and  do  as  thou  hast  said,  but  make  me  thereof 
a  little  cake  first,  and  bring  it  unto  me,  and 
after  make  for  thee  and  for  thy  son.  For  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  the  barrel  of  meal 
shall  not  waste,  neither  shall  the  cruse  of  oil 
fail,  until  the  day  that  the  Lord  sendeth  rain 


92  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

upon  the  earth.'  And  she  went  and  did  ac- 
cording to  the  saying  of  this  man  of  God,  and 
the  results  were  just  as  he  predicted.  She 
came  to  the  barrel  day  after  day,  and  found  the 
meal  did  not  waste ;  she  came  to  the  cruse  of 
oil  day  after  day,  and  found  that  it  did  not 
fail ;  and  yet  she  fed  the  prophet,  her  son  and 
herself  day  by  day. 

^'  Now,  if  this  woman  had  disobeyed  the 
voice  of  God  spoken  by  His  servant,  she  and 
her  son  would  have  eaten  the  cake  which  she 
was  about  to  prepare,  and  then  would  certainly 
have  died,  as  thousands  of  others  did ;  but  she 
believed  God,  and  by  some  law,  known  only  to 
God,  He  kept  the  meal  from  wasting,  and  the 
oil  from  failing. 

''  We  have  evidence  enough  to  believe  that 
the  same  God  lives  to-day,  and  acts  practically 
as  He  did  in  the  case  to  which  I  have  referred ; 
and  hence,  if  we  give  what  He  commands  us  to 
give,  and  consecrate  it  to  His  cause,  we  shall 
be  protected.  Our  fortunes  will  not  fail  but 
increase,  as  in  the  case  of  the  widow  who  fed 
Elijah  during  the  great  famine. 


or^  Light  fro7n  my  Forge.  93 

"  But,  again, 

RICH   MEN  ARE   UNDER   OBLIGATION   TO   TITHE 
THEIR    INCOMES. 

I  fear  ricli  men  get  too  little  sympathy  from 
the  majority  of  us ;  but,  alas,  there  is  many  a 
poor  rich  man,  bowed  down  with  care  and 
worn  out  with  anxiety,  who  is  a  fitting  subject 
for  our  sincere  sympathy.  The  little  experi- 
ence I  have  had  of  life,  and  the  knowledge  I 
have  gained  from  the  experience  of  other  men, 
teach  me  that  a  man's  happiness  and  peace  of 
mind  does  not  always  increase  in  proportion  to 
his  wealth. 

"  There  are  many  rich  men  who  can  look 
back  to  the  days  of  their  poverty  as  their  hap- 
piest days ;  and,  although  they  have  now 
accomplished  what  they  dreamed  of  accom- 
plishing when  they  started  out  in  life,  and  are 
in  possession  of  the  wealth  which  they  have 
striven  for,  yet  they  find  wealth  and  power  fail 
to  bring  them  the  peace  and  contentment  which 
they  expected,  while  riches  entail  great  respon- 


94  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

sibilities  and  anxieties,  and  involve  great  risks. 
What  a  consolation  it  is  for  a  rich  man  to  have 
a  partner  at  his  back  who  has  unlimited  capi- 
tal, and  never-failing  wisdom,  with  infinite  love 
and  tenderness.  Such  is  the  condition  of  the 
rich  man  who  takes  God  into  his  concern. 

"  I  have  no  sympathy  with  the  cry  we  often 
hear  of  '  wicked  rich  men,'  and  ^  good  poor 
men.'  I  believe  there  is  as  great  a  proportion 
of  rich  men  who  are  good  as  there  are  of  poor 
men.  It  is  certainly  easier  for  a  man  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  to  be  good  than  for  a 
poor  man  ;  for,  although  the  temptations  which 
come  to  wealth  are  great,  still  those  which  are 
a  result  of  poverty  are  greater.  But,  while 
this  is  true,  the  wealth  of  our  rich  men  is  not 
consecrated  to  God  as  it  ought  to  be;  and, 
when  a  man  is  in  possession  of  any  power  with 
which  he  can  do  good,  and  fails  to  use  the 
power  and  accomplish  the  good,  he  brings  guilt 
upon  his  soul. 

"  If  our  rich  men  and  prosperous  business 
men  would  tithe  their  immense  incomes,  what 
a  vast  amount  of  good  would  be  accomplished  I 


or^  Light  from  7ny  Forge.  95 

How  the  ignorant  would  be  educated,  the  poor 
be  fed,  and  the  heathen  brought  to  the  feet  of 
Jesus !  What  a  mighty  impulse,  the  conse- 
cration of  this  wealth  would  give  to  the  cause 
of  God  and  humanity !  Is  there  anything 
which  could  make  more  glad  the  heart  of 
Jesus  ? 

"  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  paying  to  God 
His  share  would  give  wealthy  men  a  perma- 
nent hold  upon  their  possessions,  for  this  is 
the  declaration  of  God  in  the  Bible,  expressed 
or  implied,  repeated  scores  of  times.  It  is 
said,  '  Riches  take  to  themselves  wings  and  fly 
away,'  and  nothing  is  so  uncertain  as  business. 
From  carefully  gathered  statistics,  we  learn 
that  four  out  of  five  business  men  become 
bankrupts  at  some  period  of  their  lives,  and, 
alas,  a  great  many  go  to  the  wall  altogether ; 
but  I  believe  a  case  is  yet  to  be  found  of  a  man 
paying  his  tenth  to  God,  who  did  not  pay 
every  other  man  one  hundred  per  cent.,  and 
who  has  not  been  prospered  as  a  result  of  his 
tithing. 

"A  gentleman  who  is  very  earnest  in  prop- 


96  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

agating  this  Bible  doctrine  states,  tHat  lie 
wrote  a  circular  letter  to  every  clergyman  in 
the  United  States  of  America,  asking  them 
their  experience  on  this  point,  whether  they 
had  ever  known  a  man  to  become  bankrupt 
who  had  systematically  tithed  his  income; 
and  he  states,  that  from  the  thousands  of  re- 
ports received,  there  was  not  a  single  instance 
where  a  man  had  been  a  loser  by  tithing  his 
income,  but  there  were  instances  by  the  hun- 
dred where  men  attributed  all  their  wealth 
and  prosperity  to  the  fact  of  their  paying  God 
tithes.  Very  many  of  them  commenced  tith- 
ing when  their  earnings  were  very  small,  and 
they  were  now  rich,  and  attributed  all  their 
success  to  God. 

"  Personally,  I  have  never  known  a  man  to 
be  a  permanent  business  failure  who  thus  took 
God  into  partnership,  and  I  appeal  to  your 
own  experience  whether  you  have  ever  known 
such  a  man  or  not.  I  know  very  rich  men 
who  attribute  their  wealth  to  paying  God  ten 
per  cent.,  and  who  declare  that  all  their  earthly 
possessions  have  been  given  to  them  by  God 


or,  Light  fro77i  my  Forge.  97 

in  reward  for  their  obedience  in  keeping  this 
commandment." 

At  this  point  I  was  interrupted  by  a  gen- 
tleman who  was  sitting  on  a  Life  Assurance 
advertising  board,  which  generally  stood  out- 
side of  the  shop,  but  had  been  brought  in  to 
do  duty  as  a  bench.  The  gentleman  was  a 
stranger,  well  dressed  and  intelligent-looking ; 
he  had  a  sharp,  thin  face,  and  eyes  that  sparkled 
with  determination.  He  spoke  with  ease  and 
deliberation,  and  all  eyes  were  turned  upon 
him.  He  said :  "  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  for 
interrupting  you,  but  my  own  experience  so 
strongly  confirms  what  you  say  that  I  cannot 
resist  the  temptation  to  give  it  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  are  present,  and  as  a  confirmation 
of  your  theory ;  although  the  idea  of  paying 
tithes  because  it  is  financially  profitable,  I  con- 
fess I  do  not  believe  in,  and  I  have  but  little 
faith  in  the  man  who  tithes  his  income  for  that 
purpose ;  but,  notwithstanding  my  opinion, 
as  a  matter  of  fact  my  personal  experience 
confirms  the  theory  we  have  had  advocated  to- 
night. 


98  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

"  I  am  a  physician,  and  I  started  tithing  my 
income  when  I  commenced  to  practise ;  my 
tithe  the  first  week  was  fifteen  cents,  which 
represented  an  income  that  would  not  pay  my 
board.  But  I  recognized  the  claims  of  God 
with  the  little  I  had,  and  from  that  day  to 
this  the  amount  of  my  tithe  has  steadily  in- 
creased, until  it  is  now  my  great  privilege  to 
pay  about  four  hundred  dollars  a  year  to  God's 
cause.  *  Bringing  the  tithes  into  the  store- 
house '  has  been  a  great  help  to  me  in  many 
ways,  but  whether  I  should  have  been  pros- 
pered as  I  have,  if  I  had  commenced  tithing 
with  the  motive  which  has  been  appealed  to 
this  evening,  I  cannot  say.  I  am  inclined  to 
doubt  it.  I  think  the  better  motive  to  which  to 
appeal  is  that  of  love,  regardless  of  financial 
benefit." 

This  honest  and  intelligent  speech  caused 
quite  a  ripple  of  excitement  in  our  little  com- 
pany. However,  I  was  greatly  pleased  at  the 
interruption,  for  although  my  opinions  were 
not  endorsed  by  the  Doctor  in  his  theory,  still 
I  got  a  better  endorsation  in  his  own  experi- 


or^  Light  from  7ny  Forge,  99 

ence,  wliicli  was  so  honestly  stated.  I  resumed 
my  talk  by  saying :  "I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  our  friend  for  tbe  earnest  words  he 
has  spoken,  and  I  will  take  occasion,  at  some 
future  time,  to  refer  to  the  opinion  expressed. 
One  fact  is  worth  a  hundred  opinions,  and  I 
am  glad  we  have  heard  the  statement  of  a  fact 
which  confirms  my  theory. 

^'  I  was  about  to  say,  when  our  friend  the 
Doctor  interrupted  me,  that  it  is  possible  there 
may  be  men  whose  faith  has  been  tried,  but 
God  always  comes  to  the  rescue  in  the  right 
time.  It  is  not  supposed  that  men  who  tithe 
their  incomes  will  never  have  business  per- 
plexities and  difficulties ;  but  I  do  state,  hav- 
ing the  Bible  to  back  me,  and  having  all  the 
experience  which  is  available  to  confirm  the 
Bible,  that  a  man  who  tithes  his  income,  be  he 
rich  or  poor,  takes  God  into  partnership,  and 
God  becomes  responsible  for  that  man's  finan- 
cial success,  and  pledges  His  word  that  he 
shall  be  prospered  with  earthly  or  temporal 
advancement. 

"  In  my  talk,  so  far,  I  have  referred  chiefly 


lOO  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

to  the  personal  and  material  results  following 
obedience  to  this  commandment;  but  there 
are  results  of  very  much  greater  importance 
than  those  to  which  I  have  hitherto  referred, 
although  these  can  scarcely  be  overestimated. 
As  I  take  it,  the  most  important  result  of  pay- 
ing tithes  is,  that  God's  cause  will  be  abun- 
dantly provided  with  money  for  carrying  on 
the  evangelization  of  the  w^orld. 

*'  The  facts,  as  they  exist  to-day,  demon- 
strate that  God's  cause  is  greatly  in  need  of 
means.  How  many  churches,  for  instance,  do 
you  know  which  are  out  of  debt  ?  How  many 
churches  are  there  that  can  get  along  with  the 
voluntary  offerings  of  the  people,  and  without 
doing  something  of  a  business  nature  to  raise 
money  ?  How  many  churches  are  there  that 
care  for  their  own  poor  ?  How  many  denom- 
inations are  there  whose  missionary  societies 
are  out  of  debt  ?  I  can  answer  these  ques- 
tions for  you,  if  you  will  tell  me  how  many 
churches  there  are  whose  members  give  a 
tenth  of  their  income.  I  fear  many  churches 
much  resemble  the  Jewish  Temple  when  Jesus 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge,  loi 

made  a  scourge  of  small  cords  and  drove  out 
those  who  bought  and  sold  oxen,  and  over- 
threw the  tables  of  the  money  changers. 

*'  When  God  made  the  requirement  of  the 
tithe,  He  doubtless  made  it  upon  a  proper  basis, 
and  knew  just  how  much  it  would  require  to 
carry  on  His  cause  and  to  extend  His  king- 
dom from  pole  to  pole.  I,  for  one,  believe, 
that  if  the  churches  could  be  converted  to  this 
Bible  doctrine ;  if  they  could  be  brought  back 
to  this  primitive  commandment — to  this  clear 
duty  which  God  imposes  upon  them — that  it 
would  not  be  long  until  the  day  when  '  They 
shall  not  teach  every  man  his  neighbor,  and 
every  man  his  brother,  saying.  Know  the 
Lord:  for  all  shall  know  me  from  the  least  to 
the  greatest.'  That  man  who  personally  adopts 
the  tithing  system,  and  who  endeavors  to  per- 
suade others  to  adopt  the  same  system,  is  do- 
ing more  for  ushering  in  the  millennial  day  of 
the  Lord  than  by  any  other  work  which  he 
could  possibly  do. 

"  The  printing  of  Bibles,  tracts,  and  good 
books    to    disseminate    Christian    knowledge, 


GENERAL  GORDON. 
Killed  at  Khartoum,  January,  1885. 

Few  know  Chinese  Gordon  only  as  a  remarkable  soldier,  but 
he  equally  excelled  as  a  Christian  humanitarian.     While  at  home, 
his  house  was  school,  hospital,  and  almshouse  in  turn. 
(102) 


The  Path  to   Wealth,  103 

is  resolved  into  a  question  of  money.  The 
education  of  home  and  foreign  missionaries ; 
the  sending  of  missionaries  into  destitute 
places  in  our  own  cities  ;  the  sending  them  to 
christianize  our  own  Indians ;  the  sending 
them  abroad  to  Africa,  China  and  Japan, 
is  a  question  of  money.  There  are  plenty 
of  men  and  women  whose  hearts  God  has 
touched,  who  have  the  goodness  and  ability 
to  be  missionaries  of  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ, 
but  who  are  doomed  to  stay  at  home  and  keep 
their  message,  because  money  is  not  forth- 
coming to  send  them  to  the  fields  where  their 
talents  could  be  utilized  in  preaching  the 
Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  *  Will  a  man 
rob  God  ?  '  Yet  we  rob  God  in  our  tithes 
and  oflferings,  and  as  a  result.  His  cause  goes 
a-begging. 

"  I  think  it  can  be  demonstrated,  that  if  the 
people  would  all  pay  tithes,  the  millennial  day 
would  soon  be  upon  us.  How  long  it  will  take 
to  usher  in  that  day  with  our  present  system 
of  giving — which,  indeed,  is  no  system — I 
cannot  tell.     Whether  '  the  kingdoms  of  this 


I04 


The  Path  to    Wealth; 


world '  ever  shall  become  '  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ,'  on  about  three 
per  cent,  of  the  income  of  professed  Christians, 


THE   MISSIONARY. 


I  will  leave  you  to  answer.  In  nature,  God 
has  adjusted  the  causes  to  the  effects  to  be 
produced ;  the  supplies  of  nature  are  equal  to 
her  demands,  and  it  does  seem  to  me  that  ^  the 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  105 

God  of  all  grace  '  is  equally  logical  and  consist- 
ent, and  that  He  has  made  the  conditions  of 
the  world's  salvation  equal  to  the  necessities 
of  the  case.  If  the  conditions  meet,  the  work 
will  be  accomplished  and  not  otherwise. 

"It  is  doubtful  if  the  people  are  giving  God 
as  much  as  one-half  of  ten  per  cent.  If  you 
just  take  time  to  reckon  up  your  income  for 
the  past  year,  and  take  pains  to  figure  up  the 
exact  sum  you  have  given  to  religious  and 
benevolent  purposes,  you  will  be  surprised  to 
see  how  small  a  percentage  your  givings  have 
been  in  comparison  with  your  income ;  and,  if 
this  same  question  could  be  asked  of  all  Chris- 
tian men  who  do  not  give  systematically,  there 
would  be  one  and  the  same  answer. 

''  Another  result  of  giving  tithes  would,  I 
think,  be  the  great  spiritual  impulse  which 
the  cause  of  God  would  receive.  Temporal 
prosperity,  as  a  reward  for  tithing,  is  only  the 
lesser  blessing  which  God  has  promised,  for 
He  promises  to  the  individual  great  spiritual 
blessings.  The  text,  which  I  quoted  to  you 
in  my  talk  last  evening,  is  as  suitable  as  any 

8 


io6  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

text  I  know  of  to  illustrate  this  truth.  God 
promises,  in  return  for  bringing  all  the  tithes 
into  the  storehouse,  to  open  the  windows  of 
heaven  and  pour  out  blessings  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  enough  to  receive. 

"  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  all  the  blessings 
we  get,  temporal  and  spiritual,  come  from  the 
heavens.  There  are  three  heavens  ;  one  where 
the  birds  fly,  or  our  atmosphere ;  another 
where  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  are ;  and  the 
other  where  God  dwells.  All  our  temporal 
blessings ;  all  our  national  and  individual 
prosperity  ;  all  material  wealth  ;  in  a  word,  all 
our  riches  come  from  the  earth  and  the  heavens ; 
and,  inasmuch  as  the  yield  of  the  earth  de- 
pends wholly  upon  the  air,  the  dew,  the  rain 
and  sunshine  of  the  heavens,  we  can  say 
practically,  that  all  our  temporal  blessings 
come  from  heaven.  Now,  God  pledges  Him- 
self to  open  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour 
us  out  the  divinest  blessings  —  overflowing 
blessings,  '  heaped  up,  pressed  down,  shaken 
together,  running  over,'  that  *  there  shall  not 
be  room  enough  to  receive  it.' 


<9r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  107 

*'  Here  is  God's  direct  pledge  for  temporal. 
blessings  ;  and  I  am  simple  enough  to  believe 
it,  and  intend  to  comply  with  tlie  conditions 
and  risk  the  consequences.  It  is  a  very  easy 
thing  for  God  to  withhold  or  grant  temporal 
prosperity.  Stored  up  in  the  heavens  is 
enough  wealth  to  make  every  living  man  rich  ; 
and  my  God,  whose  pledge  I  have,  can  at  any 
time  open  a  little  window  and  let  down  upon 
me  a  gentle  shower  of  His  blessings,  which 
will  provide  for  me  and  mine  so  long  as  we 
need  temporal  good.  '  Trust  in  the  Lord  and 
do  good,  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and 
verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.'  '  He  that  watereth 
shall  be  watered  also  himself  *  Honor  the 
Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first 
fruits  of  all  thine  increase,  so  shall  thy  bams 
be  filled  with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall 
burst  out  with  new  wine.'  These  are  rich  and 
precious  promises,  and  they  will  be  fulfilled 
only  when  we  comply  with  the  conditions  and 
pa}^  our  tenth  to  God. 

"A  good  deal  of  our  preaching,  our  think- 
ing, and  even  our  devotions,  either  vaporize  or 


io8  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

spiritualize  God's  promises.  Our  natural  un- 
belief tends  to  put  off  the  fulfilment  of  them 
until  we  get  to  heaven,  or  to  some  time  in  the 
future.  Unbelief  hates  literal  and  present 
tense  promises.  But  these  promises  are  literal 
and  material ;  they  are  for  here  and  now ;  they 
are  to  be  enjoyed  on  earth  ;  they  challenge  us 
to  a  contract  or  bargain  with  God.  As  stated 
before,  He  promises  money  for  money ;  you 
pay  me  a  tenth,  says  God,  and  I  will  give  you 
earthly  and  material  blessings.  I  will  give 
your  fingers  skill  as  mechanics ;  I  will  incline 
employers  towards  you ;  you  shall  get  the 
highest  wages  ;  strikes  shall  not  affect  you ; 
I  am  with  you,  and  will  see  that  you  are  pro- 
vided for. 

"  I  will  make  you  prosperous  as  business 
men  ;  I  will  incline  you  where  you  can  make 
good  bargains ;  I  will  send  the  people  around 
to  you  to  buy ;  while  the  man  next  door,  who 
neglects  my  cause,  may  become  bankrupt,  this 
curse  shall  not  touch  you.  I  will  look  out  for 
your  bills  when  they  are  coming  due  ;  I  will  see 
that  your  bank  account  is  sufiiciently  large  ;  in 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  109 

a  word,  I  am  your  partner  and  will  look  out 
for  the  interests  of  your  business. 

^^And  to  you  thinkers,  who  earn  your  living 
by  your  brains,  I  will  make  your  thoughts 
clear ;  I  will  give  you  the  holy  impulse  to 
originate  '  thoughts  which  breathe,  and  words 
which  burn  ; '  your  productions  shall  stir  men's 
hearts ;  your  work  shall  be  in  demand  ;  I  will 
make  people  buy  the  productions  of  your  heart 
and  brain  ;  only  pay  me  your  tenth,  and  you 
shall  be  cared  for. 

''  Seed  time  and  harvest  shall  never  fail  you 
farmers  ;  I  will  bless  your  crops  ;  I  will  mul- 
tiply your  stock ;  the  blight  and  the  mildew 
shall  be  kept  from  your  farms  ;  remember,  I 
am  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob ;  I 
will  do  to  you  as  I  did  to  them,  only  remember 
me  as  they  did. 

"  I  will  give  health  to  all  of  you  ;  death  shall 
not  take  away  your  little  ones  ;  they  shall 
live  to  a  ripe  old  age ;  I  will  open  the  windows 
of  heaven  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing  that 
there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it. 
These   are  blessings   promised  by  God  in  the 


no  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

Bible.  Who  among  this  company  will  this 
day  pledge  his  tenth  to  God  ? 

"As  intimated  just  now,  this  wonderful 
blessing  promised  in  this  passage  of  Scripture, 
and  in  other  passages  of  Scripture,  as  a  reward 
of  obedience,  is  more  than  mere  temporal  pros- 
perity. Not  only  will  God  open  the  windows 
of  heaven  from  whence  comes  material  wealth, 
but  He  will  open  the  windows  of  the  upper 
heavens  where  He  dwells,  the  centre  of  the 
universe  ;  and  from  His  gracious  fullness  He 
will  shed  down  upon  those  who  are  obedient, 
blessings  which  are  inexpressible  and  full  of 
glory. 

"  There  is  a  remarkable  and,  it  would  seem, 
a  necessary  connection  between  obedience  and 
great  spiritual  enjoyment.  Not  only  shall  he 
who  does  the  will  of  God  know  the  doctrine 
of  God,  but  he  shall  also  understand  the  ex- 
perience and  bliss  which  comes  through  being 
in  communion  with  Him. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  said  in  these  days 
about  consecration,  and  a  good  deal  of  unreal 
sentiment  expressed  about  giving  to  God  our 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  iii 

bodies  and  spirits,  our  time  and  our  earthly 
store  ;  but  it  is  my  experience  that  when  a 
man  does  this  practically,  and  commences  by 
acknowledging  God's  claim  to  a  tenth  of  his 
income,  that  he  grows  in  grace,  and  God  opens 
the  windows  of  heaven  and  pours  out  upon 
him,  day  by  day,  rich  spiritual  blessings,  so 
that  he  walks  in  the  light  of  the  Lord,  and 
knows  the  mind  of  the  Lord. 

"  I  have  stated  elsewhere  in  these  talks,  that 
God  promises  material  prosperity  to  any  man 
who  pays  a  tenth,  regardless  of  that  man's 
character ;  and,  while  I  believe  this  statement 
to  be  true,  still,  as  a  rule,  unconverted  men 
have  not  faith  enough  in  the  Bible  to  take  the 
risks,  and  there  are  few  of  them  who  live  up 
to  this  Biblical  requirement.  It  has  been  my 
experience,  however,  that  as  soon  as  a  man  does 
begin  to  tithe  his  income  it  develops  in  him 
spirituality,  if  he  had  not  any  previously  ;  and 
it  wonderfully  intensifies  and  strengthens  his 
spirituality  if  he  was  a  Christian  when  he  first 
yielded  obedience  to  this  commandment. 

"  So  far  as  my  personal  experience  goes,  and 


112  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

so  far  as  I  can  get  hold  of  the  history  of  men 
who  have  kept  this  law,  they  are  mostly  de- 
vout and  spiritually-minded  men,  and  they 
bear  universal  testimony  to  this  proposition : 
that  by  obeying  God  in  this  particular,  their 
faith  in  God  has  been  greatly  increased;  and 
the  wonderful  deliverances  which  He  has 
brought  about  for  them  of  a  temporal  charac- 
ter, have  developed  in  them  a  spirit  of  thank- 
fulness, as  well  as  a  holy  trust  and  a  blessed 
assurance.  A  remarkable  companionship 
springs  up  between  the  obedient  and  the  Lord, 
to  which  others  are  strangers.  One  thing  is 
remarkable  in  the  experience  of  those  who 
thus  systematically  tithe  their  income,  and 
that  is,  though  they  may  have  commenced  to 
do  so  from  a  sense  of  duty,  they  continue  the 
practice  from  a  sense  of  pleasure  and  profit, 
and  their  hearts  are  influenced  by  the  noblest 
feelings  of  love  to  God  and  man. 

''  There  may  be  a  solitary  case  here  and  there 
of  a  man  who  has  abandoned  the  practice  of 
tithing;  yet,  as  a  rule,  those  who  commence 
it  persevere  to  the  end,  and  have  wrought  into 


^r,  Light  fro jn  my  Forge.  113 

tHeir  souls  an  experience,  which  is  only  an 
experience  of  the  lips  to  the  average  Christian, 
namely,  '  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive,'  '  Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all 
things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now 
is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come,'  '  The  good 
and  obedient  shall  eat  the  fat  of  the  land.' 
These  are  promises  which  provide  for  great 
earthly  blessings,  but  these  earthly  blessings 
are  also  invariably  accompanied  with  great 
spiritual  comfort  and  enlightenment." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  talk,  there  was  a 
unanimous  request  that  I  should  continue  the 
conversation  the  following  evening.  During 
the  talk  this  evening,  a  great  many  came  in, 
so  that  the  shop  was  crowded  with  listeners, 
and  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  meet  the 
next  night  at  the  school-house.  One  of  the 
school  trustees  who  was  present  said  there 
would  be  no  objection ;  and,  accordingly,  we 
agreed  to  meet  the  next  night  at  the  school- 
house  as  suggested.  I  was  thus  suddenly 
thrust    into    greater    notoriety   than    I    had 


114  ^/^^  Path  to    Wealth; 

dreamed  of,  and  I  devoutly  prayed  God  to 
keep 'me  humble,  and  to  make  my  usefulness 
equal  to  my  humility.  I  had  got  very  earnest 
on  the  subject  in  the  two  talks  I  had  pre- 
viously given  ;  and  a  great  many  things  oc- 
curred to  my  mind  while  I  was  speaking,  which 
I  thought  I  would  like  to  say  to  my  friends 
and  acquaintances  in  the  neighborhood  before 
I  gave  up  the  subject. 

According  to  agreement,  we  met  next  night 
in  the  school-house.  I  thought  I  was  getting 
there  in  good  time,  but  before  I  arrived  the 
house  was  full.  The  news  of  the  meetings  we 
had  in  the  blacksmith  shop  seems  to  have 
spread  far  and  wide,  and  we  had  a  great  many 
on  this  evening  from  other  neighborhoods,  and 
several  business  men  drove  out  from  the  city. 
A  widespread  interest  seems  to  have  been  en- 
listed in  the  subject,  and  quite  a  few  converts 
had  been  made  to  the  doctrine  of  the  tithe.  I 
pressed  my  way  to  the  desk ;  and,  when  every- 
thing was  ready  to  commence,  some  person 
proposed  that  we  have  a  regular  and  formal 
meeting,    and,    accordingly,    the    Doctor   was 


07%  Light  from  my  Forge,  115 

voted  to  the  chair,  and  he  called  upon  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Jones  to  open  the  meeting  with 
prayer,  after  which  I  was  introduced,  and  com- 
menced : 


TALK  No.  3. 

A  Short  History  of  the  Tithe  and 
Other  Matters. 

''  My  friends,  I  will  not  take  up  your  time 
hy  preliminary  observations,  although  I  feel 
wholly  inadequate  to  the  task  of  addressing 
and  instructing  so  large  and  intelligent  an 
audience  upon  this  most  important  Biblical 
subject.  I  am  glad  to  see,  however,  that  my 
humble  efforts  to  enlighten  you  upon  this 
subject,  and  to  teach  you  what  I  know  con- 
cerning the  Bible  doctrine,  is  appreciated.  I 
am  also  glad  that  so  many  of  you  are  begin- 
ning to  see  eye  to  eye  with  me,  and  have 
commenced  to  tithe  your  incomes.  I  am  per- 
fectly willing  to  stake  my  reputation  upon  all 
that  I  have  said  concerning  the  effect  that 
your  observance  of  this  commandment  will 
have  upon  your  material  and  spiritual  pros- 
perity.    It  is  clear  to  me  that  the  Bible  most 

distinctly  promises    these  blessings    to   those 

[in) 


ii8  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

wHo  keep  this  commandment,  and  I  dare  to 
risk  all  I  have  upon  a  '  thus  saith  the  Lord.' 
I  am  also  greatly  confirmed  in  this  from  my 
own  experience,  and  from  the  experience  of 
all  who  have  tested  those  promises  of  God. 

"To-night,  I  thought  I  would  give  you  a 
short  history  of  the  tithe  during  the  Christian 
dispensation,  and  make  some  other  remarks 
on  the  subject,  which  may  be  suggested  by 
important  things  that  may  be  developed  in 
the  conversation  of  the  evening.  It  is  most 
remarkable  that  this  practice  of  tithing  has 
been  discovered  in  several  heathen  nations^ 
and  it  has  been  interwoven  with  their  religious 
and  civil  codes.  There  is  no  proof  concerning 
the  origin  of  this  practice  among  them :  pos- 
sibly these  heathen  nations  learned  it  from 
God's  ancient  people  the  Jews ;  but,  more 
probably,  the  practice  is  as  ancient  as  Adam, 
and  the  Gentile  nations  who  observed  the  tithe 
laws  were  keeping  up  a  tradition  from  the 
Garden  of  Eden. 

"  We  have  positive  proof  that  the  practice 
of  tithing  is  as  ancient  as  Abraham,  and  strong 


<9r,  Light  from  Tuy  Forge.  119 

presumptive  evidence  that  the  latter  found  it 
already  in  existence,  and  that  when  he  paid 
tithes  to  Melchizedek  he  was  performing  a  re- 
ligious duty.  No  person  can  read  the  narra- 
tive without  being  struck  with  its  naturalness ; 
for,  on  the  one  hand,  Abraham  paid  the  tenth 
without  any  explanation  or  argument,  such  as 
would  be  natural  if  he  were  making  a  simple 
present,  or  was  giving  a  simple  token  of  his 
gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  his  victory ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  Melchizedek  accepts 
the  tenth  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  took  it  as 
though  he  expected  it,  or  as  if  it  belonged  to 
him  ;  and  he  there  and  then  blessed  Abraham  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  just  as  God  in  later 
years  said  that  all  the  people  who  paid  tithes 
should  be  blessed.  There  is  enough  evidence  to 
satisfy  me  that  the  law  and  practice  of  the  tithe 
was  in  existence  prior  to  Abraham,  and  that 
God's  priests  were  maintained  that  way.  If 
this  be  so,  then  the  Canaanites,  of  whom 
Melchizedek  was  both  king  and  priest,  were  in 
the  habit  of  paying  tithes. 

"  That  some  well-defined  system  of  giving 


I20  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

to  God  was  practised  in  the  days  of  Adam  is 
certain,  for  we  find  that  both  Cain  and  Abel 
gave  systematically  to  God,  for  '  Cain  brought 
of  the  fruit  of  the  ground  an  offering  unto  the 
Lord.  And  Abel,  he  also  brought  of  the  first- 
lings of  his  flock,  and  of  the  fat  thereof.'  God 
in  some  way  had  made  known  His  will  touch- 
ing this  matter.  As  to  the  proportion  He 
required,  we  are  not  told ;  but  the  presump- 
tion is  that  it  was  a  tenth,  for  when  the  pro- 
portion is  first  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  that  is 
the  amount  specified.  From  these  considera- 
tions the  strongest  inference  is,  that  the  idea 
and  practice  of  tithing  found  in  heathen  na- 
tions has  been  handed  down  by  tradition  from 
the  Garden  of  Eden. 

''  There  is  not  a  great  deal  said  about  tithing 
in  the  New  Testament,  as  it  did  not  enter  par- 
ticularly into  the  work  of  the  Saviour  and  His 
apostles  to  impress  this  doctrine  and  prac- 
tice upon  the  people.  It  would  seem  that  at 
the  advent  of  the  Saviour  the  Jews  critically 
and  technically  kept  this  law,  so  that  Christ 
had  to  say,  '  Woe  unto  you,  scribes* and  Phari- 


RICH    PHARISEE  GOING  WITH   HIS   TITHES  TO  THE   PRIEST, 
9  (121) 


122  The  Path  to    Wealth  ; 

sees,  Hypocrites !  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint,  and 
anise,  and  cnmmin,  and  have  omitted  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  jndgment,  mercy 
and  faith :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done^  and 
not  to  leave  the  other  undone.'  Hence,  there 
was  no  need  for  Christ  and  His  apostles  to 
formally  impress  this  Biblical  command  upon 
the  people. 

"  The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  Sabbath  day, 
as  the  obligations  imposed  upon  the  Jews  by 
these  two  commandments  seem  to  have  been 
fully  realized  by  them,  and  faithfully  dis- 
charged. In  the  present  century,  it  is  most 
important  that  Sabbath  observance  should  be 
taught,  and  that  the  people  should  be  indoc- 
trinated into  the  duty  and  practice  of  keeping 
holy  the  Sabbath  day,  because  the  tendency 
now  is  to  overlook  the  sanctity  of  this  day 
and  to  consider  all  days  alike.  During  the 
Saviour's  time  this  was  not  so;  and,  hence, 
but  little  was  said  by  Him  or  His  immediate 
followers  about  the  importance  of  keeping  one 
day  holy  in  seven. 

^'  The  attitude  of  the  Jews  to  the  tithe  was 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  123 

precisely  similar  to  their  position  in  regard  to 
the  Sabbath ;  for  the  history  of  their  nation 
was  before  them,  and  they  knew  by  national, 
and,  doubtless,  many  of  them  by  individual 
experience,  that  their  earthly  prosperity  de- 
pended, in  a  great  measure,  upon  their  obedi- 
ence to  God's  time  and  money  requirements, 
and  depended  upon  these  two  obligations  as 
inuch  as  upon  all  other  conditions  besides. 

"  No  wise  teacher  will  spend  his  time  in 
teaching  that  which  is  well  known,  nor  will 
he  exhort  people  to  do  what  they  are  already 
noted  for  doing  even  to  excess.  Hence,  it  is 
only  by  allusion  or  illustration  that  Jesus  re- 
fers to  either  of  these  important  duties ;  but 
when  He  does  so,  it  is  always  of  the  nature  of 
approval,  and  herein  is  a  strong  argument  for 
my  present  contention. 

''  From  the  comparative  silence  of  Jesus 
upon  the  question  of  tithing,  a  considerable 
argument  is  built  by  those  who  do  not  believe 
in  it.  They  say  that  if  it  were  of  so  much 
importance,  surely  the  Saviour  would  not  have 
omitted  it  from  His  discourse  ;  but  taking  the 


124  ^^^  Path  to   Wealth; 

circumstances  into  consideration,  and  the  state- 
ments I  have  just  made,  I  think  the  very 
thing  complained  of  strengthens  the  position 
taken  by  me  rather  than  otherwise.  We  find, 
however,  in  the  writings  of  the  apostles,  state- 
ments and  exhortations  which  clearly  teach 
the  law  of  the  tithe.  Paul  says :  '  Upon  the 
first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay 
by  him  in  store  as  God  hath  prospered  him.' 
Here  we  have  systematic  giving ;  and  I  may 
take  occasion  in  this  or  some  other  Talk  to 
explain  this  text  more  fully. 

"  Paul  states  elsewhere  that  ^  God  loveth  a 
cheerful  giver,'  and  again,  ^  If  there  be  first  a 
willing  mind  it  is  accepted  according  to  that 
a  man  hath,  and  not  according  to  that  he  hath 
not,'  that  is  to  say,  a  man  must  give  according 
to  his  wealth,  or  give  a  certain  proportion,  the 
poor  giving  a  portion  out  of  their  poverty,  and 
the  rich  out  of  their  abundance.  Paul  in  his 
charge  to  Timothy  says  :  '  Charge  them  that 
are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they  be  not  high- 
minded,  nor  trust  in  uncertain  riches,  but 
in  the  living  God,  who  giveth   us  all  things 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge,  125 

richly  to  enjoy ;  that  they  do  good,  that  they 
be  rich   in   good  works,  ready  to  distribute, 


LAYING  ASIDE  THE  LORD'S  PORTION. 

willing  to  communicate.^  And  yet  another 
quotation,  '  He  which  soweth  sparingly  shall 
reap    also    sparingly;    and    he   which   soweth 


126  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully.'  And 
Jesus  says,  '  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me.'  Paul,  in  his  address  to  the 
elders  of  the  Church  at  Ephesus,  uses  this 
language :  '  I  have  showed  you  all  things,  how 
that  so  laboring  ye  ought  to  support  the  weak, 
and  to  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
how  He  said,  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive.' 

"  The  writings  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church 
contain  abundant  reference  to  tithing,  showing 
that  it  was  practised  by  the  early  Christians ; 
but  it  would  seem  that  for  many  years  the 
practice  of  tithing  was  purely  a  form  of  volun- 
tary offering  for  the  support  of  the  clergy,  and 
for  benevolent  purposes  generally.  The  first 
Christian  emperors  acknowledged  the  duty  of 
paying  tithes  to  support  the  clergy,  although 
they  did  not  formally  enact  laws  making  this 
compulsory.  The  council  of  Tours,  567  A.  D., 
the  second  Council  of  Macon,  585  A.  d.,  and 
that  of  Rouen,  650  A.  D.,  also  of  Nantes,  of 
Metz,  and  some  others,  distinctly  sanction  the 


ENGLISH  TITHES,  TWELFTH  CENTURY. 


(127) 


i2S  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

law  of  the  tithe,  but  it  remained  for  Charle- 
magne to  establish  the  practice  in  certain  por- 
tions of  the  ancient  Roman  Empire.  From 
this  law  and  other  sources,  it  became  a  duty 
for  all  persons  to  pay  a  tenth  to  the  Church, 
which  extended  throughout  western  Christen- 
dom. 

"  The  practice  of  tithing  was  first  introduced 
into  England  by  Offa,  king  of  Mercia,  in  the 
close  of  the  eighth  century.  Other  divisions 
of  Saxon  England  took  up  the  same  usage, 
and  it  was  made  general  all  over  England  by 
Ethelwolf  All  persons  were  required  to  pay 
tithes  to  the  Church,  but  it  seems  to  have 
been  optional  with  each  man  as  to  the  Church 
to  which  he  should  pay  his  tithes ;  and  men 
then  did  as  they  do  now,  supporting  the  Church 
to  which  they  belonged,  but  at  that  time  it 
was  distinctly  required  that  each  man  should 
pay  tithes  to  his  own  particular  Church.  But 
a  decree  was  sent  by  Innocent  III.  to  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  in  the  year  1200  A.  D., 
to  the  effect  that  all  were  to  pay  tithes  to  the 
clergy  of  their  respective  parish  churches,  that 


^r,  Light  fro77i  my  Forge.  129 

is,  the  State  Church,  and  this  parochial  distri- 
bution of  tithes  has  been  the  law  in  England 
ever  since. 

^'  It  does  not  enter  into  my  purpose  to  go 
into  detail  as  to  the  various  laws  in  England 
concerning  tithing.  There  is  a  great  variety 
of  tithes,  and  a  great  many  complicated  laws 
have  been  enacted,  at  one  time  and  another, 
in  reference  to  tithing.  All  I  wish  to  point 
out  to  you  in  this  Talk  is  the  fact,  that  this 
practice  has  been  observed  from  the  day 
Abraham  paid  tithes  to  Melchizedek,  the  priest 
of  the  most  high  God,  until  this  day,  and  in 
all  probability  dates  back  to  the  day  of  Adam. 
It  is  true  that  the  tithing  laws  in  England 
have  become  obnoxious  to  the  majority  of 
God-fearing  people  in  that  land,  and  the  chief 
reason  why  titning  has  not  been  practised  by 
the  Methodist  and  other  non-conforming 
Churches  is  because  the  State  interfered  in  re- 
ligious matters,  and  made  compulsory  what 
God  had  placed  upon  each  man's  individual 
conscience,  the  individual  standing  or  falling 
according  as  he  obeyed  or  disobeyed  God's  law. 


130  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

''  So  long  as  there  was  only  one  Cliurcli  in 
England,  there  was  no  inequality,  nor  so  long 
as  that  Church  was  doing  God's  work,  even 
though  it  were  a  State  Church,  and  the  people 
were  compelled  to  pay  tithes  to  her  by  the 
civil  law,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  real  in- 
justice or  inequality.  Certain  it  is,  that  God's 
blessing  came  down  upon  the  people,  and  Eng- 
land during  these  years  showed  an  unparal- 
leled degree  of  prosperity;  but,  when  that 
Church  became  corrupt  and  ceased  to  teach 
the  doctrines  of  the  Cross,  and  godly  men  pro- 
tested against  the  impious  practices  of  the 
clergy,  and  joined  themselves  into  organiza- 
tions for  the  purpose  of  worshipping  God  and 
teaching  the  pure  Gospel,  then  the  injustice 
of  having  to  pay  tithes  to  a  State  Church,  and 
to  support  their  own  Church  as  well,  became 
apparent.  From  that  time  until  now,  these 
Churches  have,  to  a  great  extent,  rebelled 
against  tithing,  and  the  majority  of  them  have 
not  distinguished  the  false  from  the  true ;  and, 
in  their  protestations  against  compulsory  tith- 
ing enacted  by  the  civil  laws,  they  have  un- 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  131 

wittingly  protested  against  the  law  of  God  as 
revealed  in  the  Bible. 

'^  In  England  the  tithe  laws  have  worked 
very  nnjustly,  and  have  borne  with  great 
hardship  upon  those  who  were  the  most  pious 
and  godly,  and  I  believe  the  reason  why  so 
few  to-day  systematically  tithe  their  income, 
and  why  there  are  so  many  in  practical  igno- 
rance of  this  Bible  requirement,  is  because  of 
the  hatred  which  was  engendered  by  this 
compulsory  taxation  to  the  support  of  the 
State  Church,  while  these  same  men  had  to 
support  their  own  Churches.  It  may  be  re- 
marked, however,  that  notwithstanding  this 
injustice  and  inequality,  England  has  been 
blessed  as  no  other  nation  ;  she  has  always 
been  a  lender  of  money  and  not  a  borrower. 
She  has  been  to  the  world  what  the  sun  is  to 
the  universe,  and  has  sent  out  her  light  and 
civilization  the  wide  world  over.  She  has 
furnished  more  missionaries  than  any  other 
nation.  She  has  done  more  for  the  enlighten- 
ment and  evangelization  of  the  world  than 
any  other  nation.     She  has  been  the  greatest 


132  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

in  peace,  and  the  miglitiest  in  war  of  any  na- 
tion npon  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  I  dare  to 
think  that  her  wealth,  and  power,  and  influ- 
ence have  been  due,  in  no  small  measure,  to 
the  fact  that  the  incomes  of  her  people  have 
been  tithed  for  the  maintenance  of  God's  cause. 
''  When  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  left  England  to 
seek  a  land  of  liberty  in  America,  where  they 
could  worship  God  in  their  own  way,  they 
doubtless  came  here  with  a  hatred  to  system- 
atic giving,  as  the  yoke  had  galled  them  so 
badly  in  the  old  land.  When  Christian  min- 
isters and  members  of  the  non-conforming  de- 
nominations came  to  this  country,  they  came 
with  similar  feelings,  so  that  the  Churches  in 
this  country  have  been  supported  by  the  vol- 
untary givings  of  the  people,  though  these 
voluntary  givings  have  been  spasmodic,  irreg- 
ular, and  unsystematic.  Very  few,  if  any,  of 
these  earlier  Christians  recommenced  the  law 
of  the  tithe,  although  there  are  some  distin- 
guished exceptions  to  this  statement,  and  the 
reason  of  this  almost  total  abandonment  of 
this  Bible  law,  I  believe,  I  have  just  given  you. 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  133 

"  The  Christianity  of  America  and  Canada 
has  been  of  a  most  vigorous  and  progressive 
type,  and  the  Churches  have  developed,  in 
view  of  all  circumstances,  a  wonderful  liber- 
ality ;  but  I  believe  it  can  be  demonstrated, 
that  if  all  the  giving  had  been  regulated  by 
some  w^ell-defmed  system,  and  a  certain  pro- 
portion of  the  income  of  Christian  people  had 
been  devoted  to  the  cause  of  God,  that  the 
advancement  would  have  been  very  much 
greater  than  we  see  to-day.  I  think  it  can  be 
demonstrated,  that  if  the  Churches  had  taught 
and  practised  the  doctrine  of  the  tithe,  that  a 
larger  proportion  of  the  population  of  this  con- 
tinent would  have  been  christianized.  I  am 
glad  to  see,  however,  that  this  old  Bible  doc- 
trine is  being  revived,  and  that  there  is  a  wide- 
spread interest  manifested  in  the  subject  of 
'  Systematic  Giving '  all  over  the  continent. 
People  are  beginning  to  distinguish  between 
the  abuse  of  this  doctrine  and  commandment, 
as  seen  in  England,  and  the  uses  of  it  as  laid 
down  in  the  Bible. 

^'  We  have  now  reviewed  chiefly  the  history 


134  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

of  the  tithe,  and  have  distinctly  traced  it  back 
to  Abraham,  demonstrating  that  it  was  prac- 
tised by  the  '  Father  of  the  faithful,'  and  seeing 
strong  reasons  to  believe  that  at  this  ancient 
day  it  was  a  practice  of  the  Canaanites.  We 
have  also  proved  from  sacred  history,  that  in 
the  days  of  Adam  there  was  some  plan  of 
'  systematic  giving,'  which  clearly  recognized 
God's  claim  as  the  first  claim  upon  a  man's 
earnings ;  and  it  is  a  legitimate  supposition, 
from  what  follows  in  the  Bible,  that  this  claim 
was  a  tithe. 

"  We  have  followed  the  history  of  this  prac- 
tice through  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
and  have  seen  that  what  is  most  distinctly 
given  in  the  former  as  a  commandment  is  en- 
dorsed and  reaffirmed  in  the  latter.  We  have 
also  historically  traced  this  practice  down 
from  the  days  of  Jesus  until  now.  The  his- 
toric Church  is  a  unit  in  declaring  that  '  the 
tenth  is  holy  unto  the  Lord ; '  and  if  modern 
Christian  opinion  is  shown  to  have  been  more 
against  than  for  this  doctrine,  I  think  I  have 
given  the  reason  why.     Certain  it  is,  this  law 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  135 

of  God  has  never  been  rescinded ;  and  the 
overwhelming  weight  of  evidence  goes  to  show 
that  it  is  now  in  force.  If  there  had  been  any 
change  it  seems  equally  certain  that  the  change 
would  have  demanded  a  larger  rather  than  a 
less  sum  than  ten  per  cent.  If  the  Jews  gave 
a  tenth  with  their  obscure  light,  certainly 
Christians  are  under  obligation  not  to  give  a 
smaller  amount. 

"  I  will  now  talk  a  while  to  you  on  : 

^SoME  Advantages  of  Modern  Tithing.' 

I  shall  not  have  time  to  state  all  the  advan- 
tages, for  they  are  legion,  but  I  will  give  some 
which  are  uppermost  in  my  mind.  First,  then, 
the  tithe  is  the  seed  money  of  wealth  ;  it  is 
compared  to  sowing,  and  the  more  a  man  sows 
the  more  he  has  to  sow.  It  is  compared  to 
lending  money  to  the  Lord,  which  He  gives 
back  with  interest.  It  is  a  way  of  '  laying  up 
treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not 
break  through  nor  steal.'  It  guarantees  the 
success  of  one's  business :  '  The  earth  is   the 


136  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

Lord's  and  the  fullness  thereof,'  and  God  com- 
pels the  earth  to  yield  her  products  to  the 
man  who  keeps  this  law.  ^  The  silver  is  mine 
and  the  gold  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,' 
and  He  promises  to  yield  up  these  precious 
treasures  to  the  man  who  will  tithe  his  income. 

''  I  do  not  think  that  the  Bible  means  that 
every  man  who  tithes  shall  become  rich,  but 
it  does  mean  that  each  man  who  does  so  shall 
be  well  cared  for ;  and  experience  proves  that 
most  of  them  are  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  are  rich.  It  relieves  a 
man  of  all  anxiety  as  to  his  earthly  sustenance, 
for  '  the  word  of  our  God  is  sure,'  and  He  will 
honor  those  who  honor  Him ;  and  he  who 
cares  for  God's  cause,  and  appropriates  to  His 
service  one-tenth  of  his  income,  will  never 
lack  a  tenth  to  give. 

"Another  advantage  of  tithing  is,  that  it 
systematizes  one's  benevolence.  The  man  who 
does  anything  without  system  is  a  weak  man, 
and  is  blown  about  by  every  wind,  and  swayed 
by  every  feeling  ;  but  a  man  who  has  a  system 
and  then  works  to  it,  always  knows  what  he 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge,  137 

is  doing,  and  stands  a  better  chance  of  success. 
Men  who  give  without  system,  give  according 
to  their  feelings  ;  sometimes  they  feel  poor 
and  refuse  aid  to  that  which  is  deserving; 
at  other  times,  when  their  feelings  are  touched, 
and  when  their  hearts  are  made  tender  by  some 
appeal,  they  are  inclined  to  give,  though  they 
are  in  no  better  financial  condition  than  they 
were  when  they  felt  poor.  In  such  cases,  a 
man  gives  from  feeling  rather  than  from  prin- 
ciple. Such  a  man  is  like  a  ship  without  a 
rudder ;  like  a  mariner  without  a  compass  ;  but 
he  who  tithes  his  income  sets  apart  a  certain 
portion  to  spend  in  works  of  benevolence  and 
for  the  propagation  of  God's  cause,  and  knows 
just  what  he  can  do. 

"Another  advantage  of  tithing  is  in  the  fact 
that  it  gives  a  man  great  strength  in  his  busi- 
ness. He  realizes  that  God  is  his  partner;  that 
the  God  of  all  the  earth,  who  has  the  hearts  of 
all  men  at  His  command,  is  interested  in  his 
business  ;  and,  in  times  of  darkness,  God  is  his 
light ;  in  times  of  perplexity,  God  becomes  his 

wisdom.     When  the  arm  of  flesh  fails  him,  he 
10 


138  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

leans  liard  upon  God,  for  the  tendency  of  this, 
practice  is  to  promote  dependence  upon  our 
Heavenly  Father,  and  no  man  has  ever  yet 
been  disappointed  who  thus  placed  confidence 
in  Him. 

''  Another  great  advantage  of  tithing  is,  that 
it  compels  a  man  to  keep  a  proper  record  of  his. 
financial  affairs.  A  great  many  men  fail  in 
business  because  they  do  not  keep  proper  books 
of  account.  One  reason  why  the  majority  of 
men  live  beyond  their  income  is,  because  they 
do  not  keep  a  record  of  their  income  and  ex- 
penditure. I  fully  believe,  the  reason  why 
many  farmers  are  not  more  successful  is  be-- 
cause  they  carry  on  the  work  of  their  farms 
without  any  record  as  to  the  profit  of  any  given 
crop,  or  investment.  A  man  who  tithes  his 
income  is  under  obligation  to  know  his  finan- 
cial standing.  If  he  pledges  a  tenth  to  God, 
it  is  a  prime  necessity,  in  order  to  keep  that 
pledge,  that  he  should  have  proper  books  of 
account.  This  produces  system  and  regular- 
ity; a  man  carries  on  his  business  with  his 
eyes  open,  and  knows  what  he  is  doing. 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  139 

''  But  the  great  advantage  of  tithing,  as  in- 
timated in  my  last  talk  in  the  blacksmith 
shop,  is  in  obedience  to  God,  and  this  draws  a 
man  nearer  to  God  than  all  things  beside.  It 
causes  a  man  to  take  God  as  companion  and 
guide ;  it  develops  confidence  in  God ;  help 
after  help  is  accorded  to  such  a  man  day  after 
day,  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  signal  business 
victories  are  given  to  him.  He  is  enabled  to 
overcome  dif&culties  which  he  thought  were 
insurmountable ;  he  sees,  in  the  progress  of 
his  business,  God's  guiding  and  delivering 
hand,  and  this  adds  to  his  faith,  courage  and 
love.  He  approximates  more  and  more  to 
'  the  mind  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,'  as  his  in- 
tercourse becomes  more  and  more  familiar 
with  God  our  Father. 

"  Obedience  to  God's  laws  brings  us  nearer 
the  spirit  world.  Our  communion  with  God,, 
and  our  fellowship  with  saints  and  angels  is 
made  more  precious  than  by  any  other  means 
whatever.  If  a  Christian  is  in  any  measure 
disobedient,  the  heavens  seem  as  brass,  he  can- 
not penetrate  them  with  his  prayers ;  but  when. 


140  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

all  the  tithes  are  brought  into  the  storehouse, 
the  windows  of  heaven  are  opened  and  rich 
spiritual  blessings  descend  upon  his  soul. 

"I  strongly  advise  you,  dear  friends,  to  test 
this  matter  for  yourselves.  God  distinctly 
challenges  every  one  of  you  to  make  the  test, 
saying,  ^  prove  me  herewith.'  I  would  strongly 
advise  you  to  commence  here  and  now  the 
practice  of  '  Systematic  Giving.'  Devote  a 
tenth  of  your  income  to  God  and  benevolence, 
and  the  richest  blessings  of  heaven  and  earth 
shall  be  yours. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,  I  think  I  have  talked 
to  you  long  enough  for  this  evening ;  but,  be- 
fore we  part,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  answer,  so 
far  as  I  am  able,  any  questions  you  may  wish 
to  ask.  I  do  not  wish  to  provoke  a  discussion 
for  the  sake  of  seeing  which  can  produce  the 
stronger  argument ;  but  if  any  among  you  have 
doubts  on  the  main  question,  and  are  earnestly 
seeking  the  truth  on  this  subject,  I  shall  be 
glad  if  you  will  state  them  fully  and  frankly. 
Or,  if  any  of  you  being  convinced  that  it  is 
your  duty  to  tithe  your  incomes,  and  are  de- 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  141 

sirous  of  information  on  any  point,  I  shall  be 
glad  if  I  can  be  of  assistance  to  you.  I  would 
rather  have  you  ask  me  the  questions  publicly 
than  privately,  that  others  may  have  the  benefit 
of  the  conversation." 

I  no  sooner  took  my  seat  than  a  dozen  men 
were  on  their  feet,  each  being  anxious  to  speak 
and  unwilling  to  give  place  to  the  others. 
They  all  seemed  to  speak  words  of  commenda- 
tion, but,  with  the  confusion  they  caused,  the 
meeting  was  getting  rather  excited,  and  our 
good  village  doctor,  the  chairman  of  the  even- 
ing, called  them  to  order.  He  said :  ''  With 
the  consent  of  the  speaker,  I  suggest  that  we 
now  dismiss  the  meeting,  and  have  another 
meeting  to-morrow  evening  in  this  school- 
house,  or  in  the  Baptist  church  up  at  the 
cross  roads,  if  it  can  be  secured.  Most  of  us 
have  had  to  stand  to-night,  and  the  crowd  will 
likely  be  greater  to-morrow.  I  would  further 
suggest  that  all  questions  to  be  asked  of  the 
speaker,  and  all  objections  to  be  made,  be  put 
in  writing  and  handed  in  at  the  blacksmith 
shop  by  noon  to-morrow,  in  order  that  such 


142  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

questions  or  objections  maybe  answered  at  the 
night  meeting." 

The  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church,  Rev.  H. 
S.  Waterkins,  said  that  the  church  was  at  our 
disposal,  as  he  felt  the  agitation  now  begun 
would  doubtless  do  great  good  and  increase 
the  liberality  of  the  people,  although  he  took 
exception  to  some  ideas  advocated,  but  agreed 
with  the  speaker  on  the  main  question.  He 
confessed  that  he  had  not  given  the  subject 
much  thought,  and  was  astonished  at  the  con- 
vincing arguments  brought  forward  in  support 
of  tithing. 

I  accordingly  accepted  the  suggestions  of 
the  chairman  and  the  kind  invitation  of  the 
Baptist  minister,  and  agreed  to  be  on  hand  the 
next  night  to  answer  the  objections  or  ques- 
tions which  might  be  brought  forward. 

Rev.  F.  Perseverance,  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter present,  pronounced  the  benediction,  and 
the  meeting  adjourned. 

The  next  night  when  I  arrived  at  the  cross- 
roads, I  had  to  elbow  my  way  through  the 
crowd  to  get  even  to  the  church  door.     Such 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  143 

an  excitement  had  never  been  known  in  our 
neigHborliood ;  it  seemed  that  the  people  did 
nothing  else  but  talk  "  Tithing."  Tracts  and 
books  had  been  sent  for;  the  Bible  had  been 
searched,  and  many  an  earnest  discussion  was 
held  over  the  subject.  I  had  made  between 
twenty  and  thirty  converts,  and  these  were 
the  most  solid  and  godly  men  in  our  county, 
so  that  I  had  strong  influences  at  work  on 
the  Bible  side  of  this  question.  The  wide- 
spread interest  taken  had  filled  the  Baptist 
church,  and  there  were  as  many  people  outside 
as  in. 

The  pastor  of  the  church  presided,  and 
opened  the  meeting  with  prayer  and  a  short 
address.  He  thanked  me  for  the  blessing  I 
had  been  the  means  of  conferring  upon  him 
personally,  in  convincing  him  of  the  truth  of 
the  Bible  doctrine  of  tithing.  He  knew  that 
it  was  a  law  for  the  Jews,  but  did  not  think 
that  it  was  binding  upon  Christians ;  he  was 
now  convinced  of  his  error.  His  objection, 
suggested  the  night  before,  to  the  theory 
set  forth  in  these  meetings,  was  that  a  man 


144  ^^^  Path  to   Wealth, 

who  started  to  tithe  his  income  because  it 
was  financially  profitable,  would  be  tempted 
to  look  upon  it  from  that  standpoint  only, 
and  thus  he  would  be  actuated  by  the  wrong 
motive,  which  would  produce  spiritual  lean- 
ness. 
I  was  then  introduced,  and  commenced : 


TALK  No.  4. 
Objections  and  Questions. 

"My  friends,  I  am  glad  to  meet  you  and 
greet  you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  re- 
quires ^  tithes  of  all.'  I  consider  that  a  great 
honor  is  conferred  upon  me  in  being  permitted 
to  *  contend  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints,'  and  to  do  a  little  toward  bringing  back 
the  people  to  God's  fundamental  law  of  success 
for  individuals,  churches  and  nations. 

*'I  would  that  I  could  excite  the  whole 
world  on  this  question  as  this  neighborhood 
seems  excited,  for  I  feel  that  it  is  the  absorb- 
ing question  of  this  generation.  The  speedy 
subjugation  of  this  world  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  depends  upon  the  speedy  acceptance  of 
God's  great  money  law  by  the  people.  When 
that  law  is  accepted,  and  the  people  '  bring  in 
all  their  tithes,'  then  look  out  for  the  ^windows 
of  heaven '  being  opened  in  all  parts  of  the 

world,  and  such  blessings  descending  that  the 

(145) 


146  The  Path  to  Wealth; 

world  itself  will  not  be  large  enougH  to  con- 
tain them ;  ^  For  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea.' 

"  But  I  am  to  answer  questions  and  objec- 
tions to-night,  and  I  will  now  proceed  to  do 
so.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  number  of  them ; 
and,  after  referring  to  the  remarks  of  our  ex- 
cellent chairman,  I  will  proceed  to  take  them 
up  one  by  one  as  they  come.  Before  doing 
so,  I  may  state,  however,  that  some  of  the 
questions  and  objections  handed  in  to  me  were 
anticipated  in  former  talks ;  but,  evidently, 
my  arguments  were  either  not  satisfactory  or 
have  not  been  heard  by  parties  who  repeat 
them.  I  shall,  however,  endeavor  to  answer 
everything  as  though  no  previous  attempt  had 
been  made. 

"The  difficulty  which  our  chairman  finds 
with  my  theory  is  the  one  I  most  frequently 
meet  with  from  devout  people.  It  is  undoubt- 
edly true  that  the  motive  a  man  has  in  per- 
forming a  given  action  gives  it  moral  quality 
more  than  the  outward  act  itself;  and,  hence, 


6>r,  Light  from  my  Forge,  147 

the  men  who  are  accustomed  to  look  beneath 
the  surface,  and  analyze  motives  in  judging  of 
character  rather  than  forming  their  judgment 
from  actions,  most  naturally  bring  up  this  ob- 
jection to  my  theory. 

*'  I  wish,  however,  to  state  that  there  are 
times  when  it  is  advisable  to  persuade  men  who 
are  indulging  in  wrong  acts,  to  change  the 
mode  of  their  lives  and  to  practice  virtue,  even 
though  the  motive  appealed  to  be  simply  that 
of  self-interest.  There  are  experiences,  con- 
ditions and  dispositions  where  a  motive  of 
self-interest  is  much  more  powerful  than  a 
higher  one,  and  if  you  can  induce  men  who 
have  been  living  wrong  to  give  up  the  wrong 
and  commence  on  the  right  course,  even  though 
the  motive  appealed  to  be  not  the  highest,  the 
effects  are  salutary,  and  the  motives  often  be- 
come iiltimately  of  the  purest.  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  practice  of  virtue,  unless  a  man 
be  a  confirmed  hypocrite,  where  the  very  out- 
ward act  has  a  tendency  to  compel  correspond- 
ing inward  virtue  ;  hence,  in  the  training  of 
children,  we,  of  necessity,  appeal  to  lower  mo- 


148  The  Path  to    Wealth  ; 

tives  than  we  do  in  adnlts,  as  tHey  have  not 
the  capacity  to  appreciate  that  which  is  higher. 
In  such  cases,  the  object  is  to  have  children 
commence  the  practice  of  right  acts,  and  we 
consider  ourselves  happy  to  train  them  me- 
chanically good,  trusting  to  time  and  the  grace 
of  God  to  mould  their  motives,  and  develop  in 
them  moral  purity  and  spiritual  life. 

^'  Certain  it  is  that  the  Bible  addresses  itself 
to  the  same  motive  to  which  I  have  appealed 
in  these  Talks.  Perhaps  a  full  and  sufficient 
answer  to  this  objection  will  be  given  by 
quoting  a  passage  or  two  of  Scripture,  where 
God  appeals  wholly  to  self-interest,  and  exhorts 
His  children  to  give  to  Him  with  no  higher 
incentive  whatever  than  the  promise  of  His 
giving  something  to  them  in  return.  God, 
speaking  through  Solomon,  says,  ^  Honor  the 
Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first- 
fruits  of  all  thine  increase,  so  shall  thy  barns 
be  filled  with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall 
burst  out  with  new  wine.'  And  I  suppose  no 
person  will  object  to  the  words  of  the  wise  man, 
or  find  fault  with  the  motive  to  which  he  ap» 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  149 

pealed.  Jesus  is  yet  more  emphatic,  if  that 
were  possible,  in  saying,  '  Give  and  it  shall  be 
given  unto  you,  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
and  shaken  together,  and  running  over  shall 
men  give  into  your  bosom.'  I  need  not  tell 
you  that  these  words  were  spoken  by  the 
Saviour  in  connection  with  the  giving  of  alms, 
and  they  directly  refer  to  contributions  of 
money. 

"  The  words  of  Paul,  although  quoted  on  a 
previous  evening,  are  most  appropriate  to  this 
objection,  *  He  which  soweth  sparingly  shall 
reap  also  sparingly,  and  he  which  soweth 
bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully.  Every 
man  according  as  he  purposeth  in  his  heart 
so  let  him  give,  not  grudgingly  or  of  necessity ; 
for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.'  And,  to  go 
back  again  to  Solomon,  '  He  that  hath  pity 
upon  the  poor  lendeth  to  the  Lord,  and  that 
which  he  hath  given  will  he  pay  him  again.' 
The  Holy  Scriptures  abound  in  such  passages ; 
and,  if  it  is  safe  for  God  to  appeal  to  such 
motives,  it  is  certainly  fair  for  me  to  follow  the 
same  line  of  argument. 


150  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

''  The  paper  I  hold  in  my  hand  reads  as  fol- 
lows : — '  Should  a  man  take  out  his  living  ex- 
penses before  tithing  what  he  earns  ? '  I 
answer,  most  certainly  not,  for  if  he  did  so  the 
average  man  would  have  nothing  to  tithe,  as 
in  the  majority  of  cases  he  spends  as  much  as 
he  earns.  The  Bible  declares  that  the  in- 
crease '  of  a  man's  business  must  be  tithed ;  in 
other  words,  the  net  profit  of  one's  business 
or  profession,  and  then  God  graciously  permits 
that  the  other  nine-tenths  shall  be  given  into 
the  custody  of  His  steward,  to  spend  upon 
himself  and  his  family. 

"  The  next  question  I  am  to  answer  is  as 
follows : — '  How  can  a  farmer  tell  his  net 
income  ?  '  I  suppose  a  farmer  can  only  tell 
what  his  net  earnings  are  by  keeping  proper 
books  of  account  as  other  prudent  business 
men  do.  If  a  man  in  business  promiscuously 
takes  out  of  his  business  money  for  his  house- 
hold and  private  needs,  and  keeps  no  record 
of  the  amount  thus  drawn,  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  tell  what  the  net  profits  of  his  business 
are ;  and  if  a  farmer  runs  his  farm  in  the  same 


or^  Light  frofu  my  Forge. 


151 


hap-hazard  fashion,  keeping  no  account  of  his. 
income  or  expenditure,  it  will  be  impossible 
for  him  to  arrive  at  his  income  with  any  degree 
of  certainty. 

"  I  have  heard  of  different   systems  being 
adopted  by  farmers  in  order  to  keep  out  their 


M^ 


FARMER   POSTING   HIS   BOOKS. 


tenth  for  God,  but  the  only  correct  way  is  for 
a  farmer  to  keep  proper  accounts,  and  debit  his 
farm  with  all  he  expends  for  seed,  implements, 
labor,  or  any  other  necessary  expense,  and 
credit  his  farm  with  the  produce  used  by  his 
family,  as  well  as  with  all  the  cash  he  receives. 


152 


The  Path  to    Wealth 


for  tiie  produce  sold;  and  the  difference  be- 
tween the  debit  and  credit  is  the  amount  of  his 
income,  and,  consequently,  the  amount  he  must 
tithe.  For  instance,  if  the  total  expense  of 
running  the  farm  amounted  to,  say  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  if  the  farmer  sold  one  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  produce,  and  used  in  his 
family  five  hundred  dollars'  worth,  then  the 
net  income  would  be  one  thousand  dollars,  of 
which  one  hundred  dollars,  or  ten  per  cent., 
belongs  to  God. 

^' '  How  can  a  business  man  estimate  his  in- 
come for  the  purpose  of  tithing,  so  as  to  allow 
for  bad  debts  or  possible  shrinkage  of  values  ? ' 
is  the  question  upon  this  paper.  This,  I  have 
no  doubt,  is  a  very  perplexing  question  to 
many  business  men,  and  yet,  if  we  would  act 
toward  God  and  keep  our  tithe  account  with 
Him  upon  ordinary  business  principles,  there 
would  be  no  need  for  asking  me  to  solve  the 
problem.  Suppose  the  business  man  who 
wrote  this  question  had  a  partner,  and  the 
partnership  was  so  arranged  that  his  partner's 
share  was  ten  per  cent,  of  the  net  profits  of 


or^  Light  front  my  Forge.  153 

the  business,  would  lie  have  aii}^  difficulty  in 
settling  with  him  upon  a  proper  business 
basis  ?  I  think  not.  Then  why  should  there 
be  any  greater  difficulty  in  keeping  God's 
tithe  account  than  in  keeping  the  account 
supposed  ? 

"  What  I  would  advise  a  business  man  to  do 
is,  to  tithe  the  money  he  draws  out  of  his 
business  weekly  or  monthl}^  as  the  case  may 
be,  and  once  a  year  tithe  the  net  profits  of  the 
business  during  the  year.  If  it  should  prove 
during  the  following  year  that  some  of  the 
accounts  or  other  assets  which  had  been  tithed 
turned  out  bad,  then  it  would  be  proper  to 
charge  back  ten  per  cent,  of  the  loss  to  God's 
tithe  account ;  and  the  same  remark  applies  to 
shrinkage  in  values  of  any  character  whatsoever. 

"  Some  person  asks,  upon  this  paper  :  '  What 
system  would  you  advise  for  keeping  the  tithe 
account  ?  '  The  answer  is  very  simple,  and 
I  give  it  from  my  own  method  and  practice. 
I  call  the  account,  'The  Lord's  Tithe  Account.' 
I  have  a  debit  and  credit  column,  and  I  keep 
the  account  upon  the  same  system  as  a  Cash 


154  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

Account,  debiting  it  with  ten  per  cent,  of  my 
earnings,  as  I  receive  them,  and  crediting  it 
with  all  I  pay  to  the  Lord's  cause,  specifying 
each  item  for  future  reference.  I  wish  all  my 
hearers  were  sufficiently  advanced  in  their 
belief  in  this  doctrine  to  manifest  anxiety 
upon  this  question.  The  chief  thing  is  for  a 
man  to  have  the  disposition  and  purpose  to 
tithe  his  income,  and  some  good  system  of 
keeping  the  account  will  suggest  itself  to  him 
from  his  own  experience. 

"  I  am  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  answer  the. 
following  question  :  '  Should  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel  pay  tithes  ?  '  In  one  of  my  talks  I  said 
the  Bible  most  distinctly  taught  that  the  priests 
under  the  Jewish  dispensation  were  required  to 
tithe  their  incomes,  and  I  take  it  that  what 
God  then  required  of  those  who  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people,  he 
now  requires.  I  refer  you  to  Numbers  xviii. 
26,  27:  '  Thus  speak  unto  the  Levites,  and  say 
unto  them,  When  ye  take  of  the  children  of 
Israel  the  tithes  which  I  have  given  you  from 
them  for  your  inheritance,  then  ye  shall  ofifer 


or,  Light  fi^oin  my  Forge.  155 

lip  an  heave-offering  of  it  for  the  Lord,  even  a 
tenth  part  of  the  tithe.  And  this  your  heave- 
offering  shall  be  reckoned  unto  you,  as  though 
it  were  the  corn  of  the  threshing  floor,  and  as 
the  fullness  of  the  wine-press.' 

"As  I  read  the  Bible,  God  demands  ten  per 
cent,  from  all  men,  regardless  of  their  position 
or  character.  This  sum  is  His  tax  upon  the 
earnings  of  mankind  the  world  over,  and  upon 
the  produce  of  the  earth ;  and,  undoubtedly,  it 
is  just  as  profitable,  from  a  mone}^  standpoint 
— to  appeal  to  no  higher  motive — for  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel  to  pay  his  tithe  as  for  men  of  any 
other  profession. 

''  Some  person  has  thought  the  following  a 
question  of  sufficient  importance  to  present  to 
me  for  answer  : — '  If  all  are  under  obligation 
to  pay  tithes,  how  can  a  man  who  handles  no 
money  whatever  perform  this  duty  ?  '  Per- 
haps I  can  answer  this  question  best  by  asking 
another.  If  God  requires  all  men  to  labor, 
how  can  a  man  perform  that  duty  who  is  not 
possessed  of  arms  ?  Certain  it  is,  out  of  noth- 
ing nothing  comes. 


156  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

''  It  is  a  fundamental  law  of  God  that  a  man 
shall  earn  his  living  by  the  sweat  of '  his  face,' 
3^et  if  a  man  is  lacking  either  in  brains  to  labor 
intelligently,  or  is  not  possessed  of  arms  with 
which  to  perform  the  labor,  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  be  obedient  to  this  general  law  ;  but  in 
this  case,  as  in  all  others,  the  exception  proves 
the  rule.  If  a  man  handles  no  money,  but  is 
a  pauper  upon  the  bounties  of  his  fellows,  it  is 
a  matter  of  impossibility  for  him  to  give  any- 
thing to  God's  cause ;  yet  if  a  pauper  should 
at  any  time  become  possessed  of  even  twenty- 
five  cents,  then  a  tenth  of  it  would  belong  to  God. 

^'A  man  who  works  for  wages  and  his  board, 
asks  the  following  question : — '  How  shall  a 
servant,  who  is  paid  so  much  per  annum  and 
his  board,  estimate  his  income  in  order  that  he 
may  know  how  to  give  ten  per  cent,  of  it  to 
the  Lord  ?  '  I  am  glad  this  question  has  been 
asked,  as  there  are  a  great  many  persons,  both 
male  and  female,  who  are  earning  their  living 
in  the  capacity  of  servants,  and  it  is  most  im- 
portant that  such  persons  should  know  exactly 
what  God  demands  of  them. 


or^  Light  fi'om  7ny  Forge.  157 

"  My  idea  is  that  a  person  who  derives  his 
income  in  the  way  stated,  should  estimate  what 
his  services  would  be  worth,  providing  he 
received  the  whole  amount  in  cash  and  boarded 
himself;  or,  in  other  words,  estimate  what  the 
board  and  other  conveniences  which  he  re- 
ceives as  part  of  his  pay  would  cost  him  pro- 
viding he  had  to  pay  cash  for  them.  After 
reaching  this  conclusion,  the  way  to  do  is  to 
add  his  money  income  to  the  amount  which  he 
receives  in  the  shape  of  board,  and  then  ten 
per  cent,  of  this  total  income  would  be  the 
amount  to  pay  to  God. 

"  I  am  now  to  read  to  you  a  most  practical 
question,  and  one  which,  I  trust,  is  agitating 
the  minds  of  many  in  this  audience.  '  When 
a  man  is  convinced  that  it  is  his  duty  to  give 
a  tenth  to  the  Lord,  how  shall  he  manage  with 
the  property  and  money  in  his  possession  that 
has  not  been  tithed  ? '  There  is  only  one 
answer  to  this  question ;  and  I  am  sure  that 
answer  is  supplied  by  all  your  minds  as  soon 
as  the  question  is  asked.  I  fear,  however^  that 
there  are  but  few  men  who  will  act  in  harmony 


158  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

with  the  logical  answer  to  this  question  with- 
out a  severe  struggle,  except  they  are  aided  by 
the  grace  of  God. 

'^  There  is  no  difficulty  in  a  man  rendering 
obedience  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  in 
this  particular,  if  he  is  possessed  of  but  little 
or  no  property ;  but  in  proportion  as  he  is 
in  possession  of  wealth,  in  that  proportion  will 
it  be  difficult  for  him  to  obey  God's  law  as  in- 
volved in  this  answer.  The  tenth  of  all  you 
have,  or  ever  will  have,  belongs  to  God,  and 
whether  you  have  one  dollar  in  your  posses- 
sion or  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which 
has  not  been  tithed,  '  The  tenth  is  holy  unto 
the  Lord,'  and  the  only  sure  way  is  to  give 
God  His  own. 

"  No  wonder  Jesus  said,  '  How  hardly  shall 
they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.'  How  difficult  it  is  for  a  man  to 
give  to  God  ten  per  cent,  of  any  considerable 
amount  of  wealth  is  only  known  to  those  who 
have  passed  through  this  experience  ;  and  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that,  as  I  now  speak  to 
you,  there  are  many  among  you  wrestling  with 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  159 

your  consciences.  Self-interest  and  blind  pre- 
judice, backed  up  by  the  devil,  are  arrayed  on 
tlie  one  side,  while  God's  plain  declaration  and 
your  own  conscience,  as  well  as  sound  argu- 
ment, are  on  the  other  side,  and  I  most  ear- 
nestly exhort  you  to  render  obedience  to  these 
messengers  of  God,  and  '  Bring  all  the  tithes 
into  the  storehouse.'  Do  not,  I  beseech  you, 
be  as  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  and  bring  in  a 
part  of  the  price  only. 

**  If  duty  and  truth  did  not  compel  me  to 
thus  speak,  I  should  be  inclined  to  lower  God's 
obligation  in  order  to  get  you  started  in  this, 
the  way  of  the  Lord  ;  but,  as  the  question  has 
been  asked  of  me,  I  must  answer  it  in  the  only 
way  it  can  be  answered  with  fidelity,  and  I 
trust  the  convictions  of  your  own  hearts  will 
be  obeyed,  and  that  you  will  trust  implicitly 
in  God  for  the  fulfilment  of  His  promises. 
Depend  upon  it,  true  self-interest  is  consulted 
only  when  we  render  willing  obedience  to  the 
demands  of  God. 

"  I  think  there  is  no  real  need  for  further 
argument  to  prove  the  correctness  of  my  ans- 


i6o  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

wer  to  the  question  under  consideration,  but 
an  illustration  may  make  the  truth  more  mani- 
fest. Suppose  a  man  who  commences  tithing 
his  income  to-day  should  to-morrow  come  into 
possession  of,  say  one  thousand  dollars  ;  taking 
it  for  granted  that  God  demands  the  tithe,  on 
all  hands  we  should  agree  that  ten  per  cent., 
or  one  hundred  dollars  of  this  sum,  would  be 
the  Lord's.  Now,  what  is  the  difference  be- 
tween a  man  tithing  what  he  had  when  he 
commenced  obedience  to  this  duty,  and  what 
he  received  one  day  after  he  commenced  tith- 
ing ?  I  think  there  is  no  dif&culty  in  perceiv- 
ing the  logic  of  my  answer ;  the  only  dif&culty 
will  be  in  getting  the  consent  of  your  mind  to 
render  obedience  to  it,  and  I  pray  that  you  may 
be  successful. 

"  The  question  I  now  hold  in  my  hand  is 
undoubtedly  written  by  a  man  from  the  city, 
for  he  writes  as  follows  : — '  I  have  to  pay  rent 
for  a  pew  in  our  church ;  I  also  pay  for  a  shed 
in  which  to  stand  my  horse.  Must  I  reckon 
this  on  my  tithe  account?'  This  question  to 
me  is  of  more  importance  by  what  it  suggests 


or^  Light  Jrom  my  Forge.  i6i 

to  my  mind,  than  by  the  direct  question  itself, 
although  that  may  not  be  unimportant  to  the 
person  who  asks  it,  as  well  as  to  others  simi- 
larly situated. 

"  In  regard  to  the  question,  I  give  it  as  my 
opinion,  that  the  amounts  paid  for  the  pur- 
poses stated  legitimately  belong  to  the  Tithe 
Account,  notwithstanding  my  opinion  that 
pew  rents  are  a  curse  to  Christianity,  a  great 
injury  to  our  Churches,  and  totally  subversive 
of  the  plan  and  purpose  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
propagating  His  Gospel.  It  does  not  enter  in 
my  plan  to  discuss  the  question  of  pew  rents, 
but  inasmuch  as  this  injurious  system  is  an 
invention  of  men  to  make  up  in  some  measure 
for  their  robbing  God  of  His  tithes,  there  may 
be  some  excuse  accorded  me  in  expressing  my 
opinion  upon  the  question. 

"  Here  is  a  practical  question  : — '  Should 
money  paid  for  life  assurance  be  tithed,  or 
must  that  first  be  taken  out  of  a  man's  income 
before  tithing  ?  '  If  the  life  assurance  is  of  a 
business  nature,  and  is  taken  out  for  business 
purposes,  to  secure  creditors,  or  for  any  other 


1 62  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

business  reason,  then  the  premiums  so  paid 
should  be  reckoned  as  a  business  expense  and 
should  not  be  tithed.  But  if  the  life  assurance 
is  carried  for  personal  or  family  reasons,  then 
the  cost  of  such  assurance  should  be  tithed,  as 
it  becomes  one  of  the  items  of  personal  or 
family  expense. 

^'  In  answering  this  question,  and  deciding 
similar  ones,  it  is  only  necessary  to  distinguish 
between  what  expenses  are  purely  personal  or 
family  expenses,  and  what  expenses  can  be 
legitimately  charged  as  business  expenditure. 
Sometimes  the  two  interests  are  so  intimately 
associated  and  become  so  lapped  together,  that 
it  is  a  little  difficult  to  tell  where  business  ex- 
penses end  and  where  family  expenses  com- 
mence ;  but,  if  a  man  is  conscientious  and  does 
what  he  verily  believes  to  be  right,  and  makes 
the  division  with  this  spirit,  there  will  be  very 
little  probability  of  his  going  wrong. 

'*  I  am  now  about  to  read  and  answer  a 
question  which  may  be  a  type  of  many  other 
similar  questions  which  will  arise  in  the  ex- 
perience of  a  great   many  business  men  and 


oVy  Light  from  my  Forge,  163 

mechanics.  '  My  daughter  earns  small  weekly 
wages,  about  enough  to  clothe  her :  should  her 
wages  be  tithed  in  view  of  the  fact  that  I 
have  otherwise  to  maintain  her  ?  '  Certainly, 
this  sum  should  be  tithed,  providing  you  are 
under  either  moral  or  legal  obligation  to  main- 
tain your  daughter.  Suppose  she  lived  at 
home  and  earned  nothing,  and  you  had  to  sup- 
port her  out  of  your  own  income,  then  such 
expense  would  be  clearly  a  legitimate  family 
expense,  and  all  the  money  used  to  meet  it 
would  be  tithed  before  so  using ;  hence,  the 
money  she  earns  is  simply  supplementary  to 
your  own  income  and  must  be  tithed  as  the 
rest  of  your  income,  no  matter  from  what 
source  it  may  be  derived. 

''  If  your  daughter  were  of  age  and  had 
clearly  gone  beyond  your  control,  and  there  were 
neither  natural,  moral,  nor  legal  obligations 
resting  upon  you  for  her  maintenance,  then, 
technically,  I  should  answer  the  question  in  a 
different  way.  There  will  arise  in  the  experi- 
ence of  a  great  many  similar  difficult  questions, 
but  my  advice  is  to  give  the  Lord  at  all  times 


164  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

the  benefit  of  tlie  doubt,  as  ten  per  cent,  is  the 
minimum  of  our  givings  to  God;  and  as  I 
shall  attempt  to  show  before  I  get  through  with 
all  I  have  to  say  upon  this  subject,  there  is 
abundance  of  arguments  in  favor  of  gifts 
and  free-will  offerings  to  the  cause  of  God, 
over  and  above  '  the  absolute  tax  of  ten  per 
cent,  which  our  Maker  imposes  upon  all 
mankind. 

"  The  next  is  a  practical  question,  still  a 
little  thought  on  the  part  of  the  person  asking 
it  would  bring  its  solution  very  readily.  ^A 
widow,  who  keeps  a  boarding  house,  would 
like  to  know  whether  she  must  tithe  all 
the  money  that  comes  into  her  hands  for 
board  ?  '  My  answer  is,  Most  decidedly  not. 
Keeping  boarders  is  of  the  nature  of  a  busi- 
ness, and  in  order  that  this  woman  may  know 
just  what  the  amount  of  her  tithe  is,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  find  out  exactly  what  her  busi- 
ness expenses  are;  that  is,  what  is  the  actual 
outlay  for  provisions,  fuel,  rent,  and  other 
necessary  expenses  involved  in  running  a 
boarding  house ;  then,  after   deducting   these 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  165 

legitimate  and  necessary  expenses  from  what 
is  received,  you  have  the  net  income,  and  this 
net  income  only  is  to  be  tithed.  The  same 
principle  precisely  governs  such  a  case  as 
would  govern  a  business  man,  or  a  farmer,  or 
any  person  similarly  situated. 

"  We  have  had  several  doctors  attending 
these  meetings,  and  I  am  glad  one  of  them  has 
handed  in  a  question  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject under  discussion,  and  with  reference  to 
his  own  profession.  '  If  a  doctor  professionally 
attends  poor  people  and  gives  them  his  services 
gratuitously,  ought  he  to  charge  the  value  of 
such  services  to  his  Tithe  Account  ?  '  I  con- 
fess this  position  involves  more  complications 
than  any  question  presented  this  evening,  and 
I  could  say  a  good  deal  on  both  possible 
answers  presented  to  this  question,  but  after 
giving  it  careful  attention  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  it  would  not  be  fair  for  a  doctor  to  charge 
the  value  of  such  services  to  his  Tithe  Account, 
for  several  reasons. 

"  First,  it  is  income  only  that  is  to  be  tithed, 
and  although  the  doctor   may    give  a   small 


1 66  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

portion  of  his  time  gratuitously,  still,  he  has 
the  income  from  his  profession,  and  this  in- 
come must  be  tithed  no  matter  how  much 
time  is  spent  in  Christian  work.  If  the  ser- 
vices thus  rendered  from  principles  of  benevo- 
lence were  paid  for,  there  would  be  just  so 
much  more  to  go  to  God's  Tithe  Account. 

"  In  the  next  place,  services  given  to  poor 
people  by  a  physician  would  bear  the  same 
relation  to  his  income  as  bad  debts  do  to  the 
income  of  business  men.  I  suppose  there  is 
a  good  deal  of  professional  service  rendered  by 
medical  men  charged  on  their  books  which  is 
not  realized  upon,  and  although  many  bad 
debts  may  be  reckoned  into  the  sum  total  of 
a  physician's  practice,  still,  in  order  to  get  at 
his  income,  he  first  deducts  these  bad  debts 
and  tithes  only  what  he  actually  realizes. 

"  Still  another  reason,  medical  services  ren- 
dered to  the  poor  are  often  of  the  nature  of 
advertisements,  and  though  the  physician  may 
get  no  pay  directly,  yet  it  has  often  happened 
that  the  indirect  results  of  services  given  gra- 
tuitously have  been    very  profitable.     There- 


<9r,  Light  from  my  Forge  167 

fore  for  the  above  reasons,  and  others  which 
could  be  mentioned,  it  is  my  opinion  that  such 
benevolent  services  should  not  be  charged  to 
the  Tithe  Account  of  medical  men. 

''I  do  not  know  whether  the  questions 
handed  in  to  me  to-day  are,  in  all  cases,  ques- 
tions entering  into  the  experience  of  each  per- 
son asking  them,  or  whether  they  have  been 
handed  in  for  the  purpose  of  testing  my  theory 
and  seeing  whether  it  will  apply  to  all  the 
possible  contingencies  of  human  experience. 
Whatever  may  be  the  reason  actuating  the 
next  questioner,  I  will  now  answer  this  ques- 
tion :  '  Supposing  a  father  who  had  tithed  all 
he  possessed  should  die,  and  the  property  pass 
into  the  hands  of  the  son,  who  also  practised 
tithing,  should  this  property  be  tithed  again 
when  it  had  already  been  tithed  ?  ' 

"  In  regard  to  this  question,  as  well  as  some 
others,  the  perplexity  involved  is  only  upon 
the  surface.  To  my  mind  there  is  no  real  dif- 
ficulty in  answering  it.  I  believe  that  the 
Bible  does  not  demand  that  capital  should  be 
taxed  at  all  whether  it  is  in  the  shape  of  land. 


1 68  llie  Path  to    Wealth; 

or  money,  or  stock,  or  brains,  but  that  the  in- 
come from  any  of  these  sources  must  be  tithed. 
You  will  notice  that  what  is  capital  to  one, 
when  it  changes  hands,  becomes  income  to 
another ;  and  although  the  father,  in  the  case 
supposed,  had  tithed  all  his  income,  and  so 
long  as  he  lived  he  was  under  no  further  obli- 
gation to  tithe  the  capital  upon  which  the  real 
tax  had  already  been  paid ;  still,  as  soon  as  he 
dies,  and  it  passes  into  the  hands  of  his  son, 
then  it  becomes  the  son's  income,  and  he  is 
under  obligation  to  pay  ten  per  cent,  of  it, 
whether  the  amount  of  property  left  be  great 
or  small. 

"  The  following  question  is  also  easily  an- 
swered :  ^  Should  the  income  from  capital  that 
has  been  tithed  be  subject  to  tithing?  '  That 
is  to  say,  if  a  man  invests  his  money  in  city 
property,  should  he  pay  tithes  upon  the  rent 
derived,  or  if  he  invests  his  money  by  loaning 
it  upon  real  estate,  or  good  security,  should  he 
tithe  the  interest  thus  realized?  You  will 
readily  see  that  the  profits  from  either  of  these 
supposed  investments  would  be  the  income  of 


or,  Light  fr 0711  my  Forge.  169 

the  person  investing,  and  hence  this  income 
must  be  tithed. 

''  The  next  question  I  am  to  present  to  you 
is  a  little  more  complicated,  and  it  may  be  you 
will  get  different  answers  from  men  of  equal 
ability  and  good  intent :  '  Should  money  paid 
for  books  be  tithed  before  being  so  used  ?  '  I 
do  not  know  whether  the  person  means  strictly 
to  ask  just  what  is  expressed  by  his  language, 
or  whether  he  means  to  ask,  '  If  money  paid 
for  books  should  be  taken  out  of  the  Lord's 
Tithe  fund  ?  '  These  are  two  distinct  ideas, 
and  I  will  endeavor  to  answer  both  of  them 
to  the  best  of  my  ability.  If  the  books  are 
bought  for  purel}^  business  purposes ;  if,  for 
instance,  they  are  to  furnish  a  lawyer  with  a 
library,  or  necessary  legal  books  for  his  pro- 
fession, or  to  furnish  a  physician  with  the 
necessary  medical  books,  then  the  money  in- 
vested in  such  books  should  not  be  tithed  be- 
fore being  so  used,  as  such  investments  are  of 
the  nature  of  business  expense. 

"  Now,  as  to  the  other  idea  suggested  by 
this  question,  whether  books  bought  for  family 


170  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

and  personal  reading — useful  books  bought  for 
the  purpose  of  improving  the  mind  or  cultur- 
ing  the  heart,  should  be  bought  with  tithe 
money  or  not,  is  a  question  capable  of  two 
answers.  The  money  a  man  pays  for  the  sup- 
port of  his  pastor  is  supposed  to  be  paid  for 
God's  cause,  and  is  legitimately  charged  to  the 
Tithe  Account.  Now,  if  money  were  invested 
in  a  book  of  sermons,  and  the  book  were  read 
with  the  same  motive  as  a  good  Christian  man 
listens  to  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  I  do  not  see 
why  such  an  investment  should  not  be  charged 
to  the  Tithe  Account. 

"  There  are  many  books  bought  and  read, 
even  by  good  Christian  people,  with  no  par- 
ticular religious  motive ;  books  of  travel  and 
general  interest,  scientific  and  historical,  and 
I  think  that  it  would  not  be  legitimate  to  buy 
such  books  with  tithe  mone3^  While  I  grant 
that  a  book  purchased  wholly  and  solely  for 
the  cultivation  of  spiritual  life  could  be  techni- 
cally charged  to  the  Tithe  Account ;  still,  I 
think  it  is  getting  rather  near  the  line  of  de- 
marcation, and  I  would  strongly  advise  you 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge,  171 

not  to  use  your  money  in  this  way,  but  to  buy 
all  books  for  personal  or  family  use  out  of  the 
nine-tenths  of  your  income  which  God  allows 
you  to  use  on  your  own  behalf 

''I  fear  that  there  would  be  danger  in  charg- 
ing to  the  Tithe  Account  that  which  we  pur- 
chase for  our  own  use,  or  comfort,  or  self- 
interest  ;  for  once  adopting  such  a  principle, 
there  would  be  a  strong  temptation  to  spend 
tithe  money  in  that  direction,  when  it  could  be 
used  more  for  the  glory  of  God.  I  believe  the 
only  safe  way  for  a  man  to  give  his  tenth  is  to 
be  governed  by  principles  of  love,  for  *  God 
loveth  a  cheerful  giver,'  and  it  does  not  pay  to 
be  technical  in  giving  to  God  who  is  so  won- 
drously  good  and  kind  to  us. 

''  I  hope  this  next  question  is  not  asked  with 
more  of  unbelief  than  faith :  ^  If  a  man  who 
practises  tithing  should  become  poor,  how 
would  it  affect  your  faith  in  the  proposition, 
that  one  is  always  better  off  by  paying  tithes  ? ' 
Well,  my  friends,  let  me  ask  you  a  question : 
Suppose  a  man  was  in  the  habit  of  working 
every  day  in  the  year,  and  he  became  converted 


172  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

to  God  and  immediately  commenced  to  rest  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  thns  giving  to  God  a  frac- 
tion over  fourteen  per  cent,  of  his  time ;  and, 
after  being  converted  and  giving  to  God  one 
day  in  seven,  he  should  become  a  poor  man, 
how  would  this  affect  your  faith  in  the  salu- 
tary influence  of  Christianity?  particularly 
in  the  text,  '  Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all 
things,'  and  also  in  the  Old  Testament,  '  But 
the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy 
God :  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou, 
nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  man-ser- 
vant, nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor 
thy  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates.' 

''  Would  you  advise  him  to  abandon  his  faith 
in  God  and  Christianity,  and  regard  with  con- 
tempt God's  rest  day?  Or  would  you  think  it 
any  argument  against  the  profitableness  and 
general  salutary  influence  of  Christianity,  and 
the  benefit  of  keeping  holy  the  Sabbath  day, 
upon  men's  earthly  prosperity  ?  I  think  not, 
and,  therefore,  please  apply  the  same  reasoning 
to  God's  money  requirements.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  present 


or^  Light  froin  my  Forge.  173 

such  a  case  to  me,  before  I  could  really  tell  you 
what  effect  it  would  have  upon  my  mind  in 
reference  to  the  general  propositions  I  have 
laid  down.  I  have  never  met  or  heard  tell  of 
a  man  who  has  become  poor  on  account  of 
tithing  his  income.  I  have  written  extensively 
and  advertised  some,  and  have  been  in  com- 
munication with  a  great  many,  and  on  all 
hands  the  testimony  is,  that  it  pays  in  every 
way  to  '  bring  all  the  tithes  into  the  store- 
house.' 

'^  I  do  not  know  but  that  the  question  asked 
is  about  as  wise  as  the  following  one :  '  Sup- 
posing that  the  angles  of  a  triangle  should  not 
be  equal  to  two  right  angles,  how  would  this 
affect  your  faith  in  the  infallibility  of  geomet- 
rical law  ?  '  Or,  '  Supposing  a  man  in  a  bal- 
loon five  hundred  feet  from  the  earth  should 
drop  a  cannon  ball  of  one  hundred  pounds 
weight  and  it  does  not  fall  to  the  ground,  how 
would  this  affect  your  faith  in  the  unerring 
laws  of  gravitation  ?  '  If  the  Bible  be  true, 
the  question  simply  means,  '  Supposing  that 
having  trusted  the  promises  of  God  you  find 


174  The  Path  to    Wealth: 

them  to  be  untrue,  how  would  this  affect  your 
faith  in  God's  honesty  ?  '  I  think  the  question 
is  inspired  by  unbelief,  and  is  born  of  a  heart, 
to  this  extent  at  least,  full  of  infidelity  towards 
God. 

''A  pious  man  who  is  so  far  consecrated  to 
God  as  to  devote  one  of  his  sons  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry  asks  this  question :  '  Should  a 
father  who  is  supporting  his  son  at  college  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  him  for  the  ministry, 
charge  the  money  thus  expended  to  his  Tithe 
Account  ?  I  answer  emphatically,  no.  If  so, 
the  father  who  is  supporting  his  son  at  college 
for  the  purpose  of  making  him  a  doctor,  or  the 
father  who  is  graduating  his  son  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  him  a  lawyer,  should  also 
charge  the  cost  to  the  Tithe  Account. 

^'  If  the  college  education  of  a  young  man 
preparing  for  the  ministry  is  to  be  charged  to 
the  Tithe  Account,  then  there  is  no  reason 
why  the  cost  of  ordinary  school  education 
should  not  be  so  charged,  and  if  his  mental 
education  is  to  be  charged  to  the  Tithe  Ac- 
count, then  why  not  charge  his  physical  de- 


or^  Light  from  my  Foige.  175 

velopment  or  training  to  the  same  account,  and 
thus  put  to  the  Lord's  account  his  board,  cloth- 
ing, etc.  I  can  conceive  where  there  may  be 
exceptions  to  this  rule,  but  I  certainly  think 
that  the  rule  for  the  guidance  of  such  fathers 
is  along  the  line  of  my  remarks.  A  young 
man  joining  the  ministry  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  these  days  stands  as  good  a  chance 
for  a  livelihood  as  he  who  enters  the  ranks  of 
any  other  profession,  and  though  it  is  a  privi- 
lege fathers  have  of  giving  their  sons  to  the 
holy  ministry,  still,  I  think  that  they  have  a 
perfect  right  to  pay  for  the  privilege  out  of 
the  nine-tenths  of  their  income  which  God 
graciously  allows  them  to  use  for  their  own 
purposes. 

"  I  believe  there  are  a  great  many  men  who 
soothe  their  consciences  and  blind  the  eyes  of 
their  understanding  by  belief  in  the  erroneous 
opinion  intimated  by  the  following  question  : 
'  Did  not  the  ten  per  cent,  the  Bible  demands 
of  the  Jews  include  that  which  is  equivalent 
to  our  municipal  and  other  taxes  ?  '  I  have 
heard  this  question  very  often,  and  sometimes 


176  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

from  men  who  ought  to  know  better,  and  who 
ought  to  be  ashamed  to  display  such  ignorance 
in  regard  to  the  teaching  of  the  Bible.  The 
most  casual  reader  cannot  help  seeing  that  ten 
per  cent,  was  the  minimum  sum  required  in 
the  Bible  for  God's  ancient  people,  the  Jews, 
as  well  as  for  all  the  rest  of  mankind. 

"  In  addition  to  the  annual  tithe,  there  were 
a  great  many  feasts  held  by  the  Jews  to  which 
they  had  to  contribute  of  their  substance. 
There  was  a  special  feast  once  in  three  years 
for  the  poor ;  in  fact,  these  feasts  were  daily, 
weekly,  monthly  and  yearly,  and  each  of  these 
feasts  was  supported  by  the  voluntary  offer- 
ings of  the  people.  Then  there  were  sacrifices 
of  various  kinds  ;  sacrifices  of  burnt  offerings, 
sin  offerings,  heave  offerings,  thank  offerings, 
and  peace  offerings.  Each  of  these  offerings 
required  the  material  substance  of  God's  peo- 
ple, and  God  states  :  ^  These  things  shall  ye  do 
unto  the  Lord  in  your  set  feasts,  besides  your 
vows  and  free-will  offerings.'  I  think  that  if  a 
careful  computation  be  made  of  the  usual  and 
ordinary  givings  of  pious  Jews,  it  amounted 


GEORGE  PEABODY,  the   Philanthropist. 

Mr.  Peabody  was  born  in  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  U.  S., 
February  i8th,  1795,  and  died  in  Ivondon,  Bng.,  November  4th. 
1869.  His  body  was  interred  in  Westminster  Abbey,  until  it 
was  carried  to  bis  native  home  by  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  ship 
Monarch.  His  vast  fortune  was  chiefly  made  in  London,  and 
there  he  spent  ^60,000  in  erecting  a  home  for  the  poor.  His 
public  benefactions  amounted  to  |8, 470,000. 

(177) 


178  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

to  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  their  in- 
come; so  tHat  stingy  Christian  men  cannot 
get  behind  their  municipal  taxes,  and  ease 
their  consciences  by  supposing  that  these  mu- 
nicipal taxes  stand  in  the  stead  of  God's  tithe 
laws. 

"  I  know  one  wealthy  man  who  keeps  his 
tithe  account  with  God  in  the  following  way. 
He  loans  considerable  money  and  usually  at 
large  interest,  and  is  not  as  careful  in  the  mat- 
ter of  security  as  ordinary  bankers,  and  all  the 
bad  debts  he  has,  he  charges  to  God's  Tithe 
Account,  holding  God  responsible  for  all  the 
bad  debts  he  makes,  so  that  at  the  end  of  the 
year  he  has  little  or  nothing  to  give  to  God's 
cause,  having  charged  up  to  the  Most  High  all 
the  results  of  his  own  blunders.  It  requires 
a  large  amount  of  ingenuity  to  create  a  robe 
of  charity  large  enough  to  cover  up  the  incon- 
sistencies and  defects,  not  to  saj  the  stinginess 
and  dishonesty,  of  a  large  proportion  of  pro- 
fessing Christians.  If  we  are  to  measure  a 
man's  love  for  a  cause  by  what  he  does  for  it, 
then  the  real  love  for  God  is  a  very  small  quan- 


01%  Light  from  my  Forge. 


179 


tity  in  the  breasts  of  a  great  many  professing 
Christians. 

"  The  objection  npon  this  last  paper  which 
I  intend  reading  to  you  this  evening,  is  by  no 
means  new,  and  is,  I  believe,  often  stated  by 
good  honest  Christian  people,  although  to  tell 


THE  PROTESTED  NOTE. 


the  truth,  it  displays  a  lamentable  lack  of 
knowledge  of  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments. 

'' '  The  New  Testament  puts  giving  to  God 
upon  higher  ground  than  the  Old  Testament, 
and  appeals  to  our  love,  and  in  my  opinion, 
under  the  dispensation  of  grace,  Christian  men 


i8o  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

are  left  to  the  promptings  of  their  own  hearts 
in  the  matter  of  their  givings.  Paul  distinctly 
states,  that  we  are  to  give  as  we  have  been 
prospered ;  some  can  give  more  than  the  tenth, 
while  it  would  be  simple  injustice  to  ask  ten 
per  cent,  of  others.' 

"  Here  are  several  propositions  in  one  ;  and, 
for  the  sake  of  clearness  in  my  answer,  I  will 
analyze  the  statement  and  set  out  the  objec- 
tions it  contains  in  order.  It  is  stated  (i) 
That  the  New  Testament  puts  giving  upon 
higher  grounds  than  the  Old  Testament,  be- 
cause the  former  appeals  to  our  love ;  (2) 
Und::r  the  dispensation  of  grace,  Christian 
men  are  left  to  their  own  will  in  the  matter  of 
giving;  (3)  Paul  is  quoted  to  the  effect  that 
we  are  to  give  according  as  we  have  been  pros- 
pered ;  and  (4)  Some  can  give  more  than  a 
tenth,  while  it  would  be  simple  injustice  to 
claim  a  tenth  of  others. 

"  Now,  as  to  the  first  proposition  concerning 
the  nobler  incentive  of  the  New  Testament 
over  the  Old,  I  certainly  have  no  objection  ; 
for  if  the  incentive  be  higher  or  nobler,  then 


07\  Light  fro?) I  my  Forge,  i8i 

the  results  will  be  in  proportion.  We  have 
seen,  what  I  think  no  intelligent  person  will 
dispute,  that  the  minimum  sum  demanded  of 
all  persons  in  the  Old  Testament  is  a  tenth. 
Now,  if  a  tenth  was  then  paid  as  a  tribute  or 
tax,  and  a  stronger  incentive  is  now  appealing 
to  us,  then  surely  our  contributions  to  God's 
cause  will  be  greater  now  than  then.  But,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  God's  money  law  is  like  the 
laws  for  truth,  honesty  and  chastity,  the  same 
under  all  dispensations. 

*'It,  in  all  probability,  started  with  Adam 
and  was  certainly  observed  by  Abraham,  and 
ran  all  through  the  Jewish  dispensation ;  it 
branched  out  in  separate  streams  in  all  direc- 
tions prior  to  the  days  of  Abraham,  as  traces 
of  it  are  seen  in  Gentile  nations.  All  these 
streams  meet  again  under  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation and  form  one  mighty  river.  The 
New  Testament  does  indeed  appeal  to  our 
love,  but  there  is  no  room  for  the  exercise 
of  love  in  this  matter  until  we  have  paid 
our  actual  debt  of  ten  per  cent.,  as  de- 
manded  in  both  Testaments.     When  this    is 


i82  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

done,  then  love  can  prompt  us  to  do  generous 
things. 

''As  to  the  second  objection,  that  Christian 
men  are  left  to  their  own  wills,  to  give  as 
much  or  as  little  as  they  please,  it  has  no 
foundation  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus  or  His 
Apostles,  unless  we  are  to  assume  that  the  will 
of  the  Christian  is  always  in  harmony  with 
God's  will.  Assuming  that  Christians  are  al- 
ways thus  sanctified,  there  can  be  no  objections 
to  the  statement;  but,  unless  the  great  ma- 
jority of  professing  Christians  are  consum- 
mate hypocrites,  and  there  be  but  few  real 
Christians,  this  assumption  cannot  be  correct, 
for  Church  statistics  prove  that  the  wall  of 
the  majority  is  clearly  opposed  to  the  will  of 
God  in  the  matter  of  giving,  as  the  results 
demonstrate  that  God's  minimum  sum  even  is 
not  reached,  to  say  nothing  of  the  display  of 
benevolence  prompted  by  the  nobler  incentive 
of  love.  I,  therefore,  conclude  that  it  is  not 
safe  to  put  our  wills,  or  the  promptings  of  our 
own  hearts,  as  regulators  of  our  duty,  but 
rather,  our  wills  and  impulses  must  be  formed 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  183 

and  regulated  by  God's  will — '  to  the  law  and 
the  testimony  '  must  be  our  appeal. 

"As  to  the  third  objection,  that  we  are  to 
give  as  we  have  been  prospered,  this  must  be 
used  without  a  proper  apprehension  of  the 
meaning  of  the  language  used  by  Paul,  for  it 
certainly  counts  the  other  way.  There  can 
be  no  stronger  argument  for  '  Systematic  Giv- 
ing.' If  we  give  according  as  we  get,  it  means 
giving  proportionately.  For  instance,  if  last 
year  you  made  five  hundred  dollars,  God  de- 
manded fifty ;  if  He  blessed  you  this  year  with 
one  thousand  dollars,  He  asks  at  your  hands 
one  hundred  dollars ;  if  you  get  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars  next  year.  His  minimum  demand 
will  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  If  you 
commence  giving  to  God  according  as  He 
prospers  your  business,  you  need  not  be  sur- 
prised if  your  income  increases  year  by  year, 
for  this  is  just  the  way  He  honors  those  who 
honor  Him. 

"  Concerning  the  last  objection,  that  some 
can  give  more  than  a  tenth,  while  it  would  be 
wrong  to  ask  that  much  of  others,  I  have  to 


1 84  ^l^e  P^^tli  io    Wealth; 

say,  that  some  can  undoubtedly  give  more 
than  a  tenth.  It  would  be  a  great  blessing 
for  them  to  do  so,  j  ust  as  some  can  spend  more 
than  one  day  a  week  in  God's  service  if  they 
choose  to  do  so,  and  derive  great  spiritual 
blessings  in  so  doing ;  still,  God's  actual  de- 
mand is  a  tenth  in  the  one  case  and  a  seventh 
in  the  other,  and  all  we  give  over  is  a  free-will 
offering.  To  say  that  it  is  unjust  to  ask  of 
any  man  ten  per  cent,  of  his  earnings  for  the 
cause  of  God,  is  a  statement  at  once  narrow 
and  untrue.  Narrow,  because  it  leaves  God 
out  of  the  account — the  God  of  infinite  re- 
sources, who  has  pledged  His  eternal  word 
that  he  who  gives  a  tenth  shall  never  lack  a 
tenth  to  give ;  and  untrue,  because  God  never 
demands  that  which  is  unequal  or  unjust,  and 
He  most  certainly  demands  the  tithe  from  all 
mankind. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,  I  have  done  my  best 
to  answer  the  questions  and  objections  handed 
in,  and  I  must  close  my  Talk  for  this  evening 
as  it  is  getting  late.  I  thank  you  for  your 
very    kind    attention,    and    I    pray    that   our 


or^  Light  fi'oin  my  Forge.  185 

Heavenly  Father  ma}^  lead  each  one  of  us  into 
tiie  light,  anl  give  us  glad  hearts  to  '  run  in 
the  way  of  His  commandments.'  " 

When  I  took  my  seat  there  was  for  a  mo- 
ment the  same  marked  stillness  which  char- 
acterized this  meeting  all  through,  and  then 
it  seemed  that  every  man  inside  of  the  church, 
and  those  looking  in  at  the  windows,  simul- 
taneously broke  out  in  the  most  boisterous 
applause.  The  chairman,  after  much  effort, 
restored  comparative  silence,  and  then  made  a 
neat  and  complimentary  speech,  the  sincerity 
of  which  was  proved  by  his  statement  that  all 
his  objections  to  the  doctrine  of  the  tithe  were 
forever  silenced.  Fully  a  score  of  men  at- 
tempted to  speak,  and  many  were  the  sugges- 
tions made  as  to  the  best  method  of  spreading 
this  doctrine  and  stirring  up  the  Churches  to 
the  importance  of  Systematic  Giving.  Two 
suggestions  I  made  up  my  mind  to  adopt :  the 
one  was  to  have  a  public  testimony  meeting, 
and  the  other  was  to  reproduce  the  conversa- 
tions at  all  the  meetings  and  publish  them  in 

a  book. 

13 


i86  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

It  occurred  to  me  that  the  most  competent 
men  to  confirm  or  reject  my  theory  were  those 
who  have  tested  it ;  and  I  made  up  my  mind 
not  to  have  this  testimony  meeting  for  a  week, 
so  that  ample  time  could  be  given  to  publish 
it  abroad,  and  invite  men  to  testify  who  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  paying  tithes.  As  to 
publishing  a  book  containing  a  full  report  of 
the  meetings,  it  seemed  the  proper  thing  to  do; 
for  the  simple  Bible  truth  which  has  caused 
such  a  stir  in  and  around  our  community,  and 
which  has  been  productive  of  such  good  re- 
sults, will  equally  stir  the  entire  Christian 
Church,  if  the  truths  can  be  brought  to  bear 
on  the  minds  of  the  people ;  and  nothing  in 
this  age  can  do  that  as  well  as  a  book  when  it 
is  well  circulated.  I  announced  for  the  testi- 
mony meeting  one  week  from  that  evening, 
and  told  them  of  my  determination  to  publish 
the  book,  and  we  adjourned  at,  I  confess,  a  late 
hour. 

The  time  for  the  next  meeting  had  arrived, 
and  I  was  on  hand  at  the  proper  time.  The 
crowd  was  much  greater  than  on  any  previous 


or,  Light  front  my  Forge.  187 

occasion.  We  had  visitors  from  great  dis- 
tances, many  persons  having  written  me  of 
their  intention  to  be  present.  From  the  let- 
ters received,  I.  knew  that  we  were  to  have 
strong  testimonies,  fully  confirming  all  I  had 
stated  as  to  the  effects  of  tithing  upon  a  man's 
finances  and  upon  his  religious  experience. 

A  Church  of  England  clergyman,  who  had 
preached  and  practised  the  Bible  plan  of  tith- 
ing for  years,  was  present ;  and,  without  ask- 
ing his  consent,  I  called  upon  him  to  open  the 
meeting  with  prayer.  From  the  fervent  prayer 
he  offered,  we  learned  that  he  was  on  good 
terms  with  God,  and  had  been  accustomed  to 
address  Him  without  the  Prayer  Book.  Every- 
thing being  ready,  I  announced  that  we  would 
proceed  with 


TALK   No.  5. 

Testimonies  and  Experiences. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  meeting  is  the 
last  of  a  series  of  meetings  which  we  have 
been  holding  in  this  community  in  the  interest 
of  God's  money  demand.  The  position  taken 
b}^  myself  is  known  probably  to  all  of  you.  I 
hold  that  God  has  distinctly  told  us  the  mini- 
mum sum  He  requires  of  us,  so  that  no  man 
need  stand  in  doubt.  God  promises  material 
and  spiritual  prosperity  to  those  who  are  obe- 
dient to  His  demands,  and  a  plank  of  pros- 
perity is  invariably  underneath  those  who 
walk  out  upon  the  promises  referred  to.  This 
meeting  has  been  called  for  the  purpose  of 
testimonies  and  experiences  along  this  line. 
I  need  not  detain  you  with  the  relation  of  my 
personal  experience.  It  will  be  sufficient  for 
me  to  state,  that  everything  I  have  stated  in 

these  informal  Talks  is  confirmed  by  my  ex- 

-(189) 


190  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

perience,  and,  in  a  good  degree,  is  born  of  my 
experience. 

''  I  now  tlirow  tlie  meeting  open  for  any 
person  to  speak  who  has  systematically  prac- 
tised tithing.  Do  not  be  trammeled  by  any- 
thing I  have  said,  or  attempt  to  make  yonr 
statements  conform  to  my  exact  theory.  Let 
us  have  your  experience  just  as  it  is,  and  it 
will  support  the  truth  if  you  are  walking  in 
the  Divine  order.  Who 'will  be  the  first  to 
testify  ?  " 

Fir^st  Witness. — ''  I  desire  to  get  in  my  word 
of  testimony  while  some  others  may  be*  get- 
ting ready.  I  am  a  general  agent,  and  I  have 
practised  giving  not  less  than  one-tenth  of  my 
income  to  charitable,  philanthropic  and  re- 
ligious enterprises  for  nearly  five  years.  I 
have  enjoyed  givmg  in  this  way  more  than  I 
did  before  adopting  it ;  and,  although  I  have 
given  away  a  larger  proportion  of  my  income 
than  formerly,  I  have  always  had  more  left  to 
spend  on  myself  than  I  had  before.  I  believe 
the  practice  of  '  Systematic  Giving '  has  been  a 
blessing  to  me,  both  temporally  and  spiritually, 


<9r,  Light  from  my  Forge. 


191 


and  it  is  my  intention  to  follow  the  practice  as 
long  as  I  live." 

Second  Witness. — "  '  Systematic  Giving  '  I 
believe  to  be  the  duty  of  every  child  of  God, 
and  none  can  do  it  so  well  as  those  who  have  a 


GOD'S   TREASURY. 


system.  I  have  followed  it  now  for  over  nine 
years  ;  and,  although  my  contributions  have 
been  possibly  a  little  liberal,  yet  I  have  not 
missed  the  money.  I  began  business  nine 
years  ago  as  a  general  merchant,  and  in  doing 
so  I  got  a  small  box  and  labelled  it,  '  The 


192  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

Lord's  Treasury.'  Every  night  I  count  the 
cash  taken  in,  and  enter  it  in  a  book  kept  for 
that  purpose.  On  Saturday  night  I  add  up  the 
cash  sales  for  the  week,  and  deduct  three  per 
cent,  for  '  The  Treasury.'  This  is  my  fund 
for  the  Church  and  benevolent  purposes.  For 
the  first  two  or  three  years  I  gave  three  per 
cent. ;  then  I  raised  it  and  gave  five  per  cent., 
until  the  beginning  of  last  3^ear,  when  I  was 
rather  hard  run  for  cash,  and  thought  pos- 
sibly that  I  was  drawing  too  heavily  on  the 
business,  and  since  then  I  have  given  three 
per  cent.,  and  always  have  funds  on  hand.  I 
would  like  to  hear  from  any  one  else  who  may 
be  able  to  give  light  and  encouragement  on  the 
subject,  for  I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  a 
test  of  m}/  faith  or  not  when  my  funds  were 
getting  short  a  year  or  two  ago." 

Leader. — '*  I  think  the  brother  who  last 
spoke  has  missed  the  Scriptural  idea  of  the 
tithe ;  besides,  any  given  per  cent  of  the  gross 
cash  handled  by  a  business  man  does  not  nec- 
essarily involve  a  uniform  per  cent,  of  income, 
as  the  profits  on  different  lines  of  goods  vary. 


(?r,  Light  from  my  Forge,  193 

and  besides  there  can  be  no  account  taken 
of  expenses  in  the  system  our  brother  has 
adopted.  The  Bible  plan  is  to  '  tithe  our  in- 
crease '  or  income.  I  give  it  as  my  opinion 
that  our  brother  paid  more  than  ten  per  cent, 
of  his  income  even  when  he  paid  only  three 
per  cent." 

Third  Witness, — *'  I  am  glad  that  some  of 
the  Lord's  people  are  thinking  of  their  duty  in 
the  matter  of  giving  of  their  substance,  or, 
rather,  returning  of  some  of  their  substance  to 
His  treasury.  When  I  saw  the  notice  of  this 
meeting  I  thought  that  I  would  like  to  attend, 
and  say  a  word  to  let  the  leader  know  that 
there  was  one  more,  at  least,  of  like  faith  and 
practice  with  himself.  As  to  the  faith,  I  do 
not  believe  that  under  the  present  dispensation 
we  are  definitely  commanded  to  give  a  tenth ; 
but  we  are  supposed  to  be  energized  by  a  far 
greater  power  than  that  of  law,  viz.,  love ;  and 
if  our  love  does  not  cause  us  to  give  willingly 
as  much  as  the  law  called  for,  it  is  not  saying 
much  for  its  marvellous  power  of  which  we 
talk  so  glibly.     We  are  continually  comparing 


194  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

our  dispensation  with  that  of  the  Mosaic,  and 
thanking  the  Lord  that  it  is  so  much  better ; 
but  is  there  any  reality  in  our  thanksgiving  if 
our  estimation  of  it  does  not  cause  us  to  give 
up  at  least  a  tenth  of  our  income  ? 

"  On  this  question  no  rule  can  be  laid  down 
that  will  apply  to  all  parties.  While  for  one 
man  it  would  be  right  to  give  a  tenth,  his 
neighbor  might  be  doing  wrong  if  he  did  not 
give  at  least  a  fifth.  The  affair  should  be 
settled  in  every  case  with  Jesus  Christ.  How- 
ever, I  could  not  think  much  of  a  man's 
honesty  towards,  and  love  for,  Jesus,  if  he 
came  away  from  communion  with  Him  on  the 
subject  with  an  idea  that  he  should  give  less 
than  a  tenth.  It  can  be  done,  and  it  will  be 
bettei  for  the  man,  no  matter  how  small  the 
income.  If  it  be  true  that  both  material  and 
spiritual  blessings  follow  the  giving  up  of  sub- 
stance to  the  Lord's  work,  then,  I  think,  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  ninety  cents  is  better  with 
God's  blessing  than  one  hundred  cents  with- 
out it. 

"  But,  how  with  those  who  have  an  abun- 


^r,  Light  fr 0771  77ty  Forge,  i^^ 

dance  of  this  world's  goods  ?  Should  they 
retire  to  enjoy  themselves  while  they  have 
health  and  strength  to  make  more  money  ? 
I  do  not  think  so.  They  are  stewards,  and  in 
that  sense  own  nothing,  and  will  be  brought 
to  account  for  the  way  in  which  they  have 
used  their  Lord's  substance.  Surely  it  is  the 
duty  of  such  to  make  all  they  can,  not  that 
they  may  use  some  of  it  even  in  foolish 
luxuries,  but  rather  that  they  may  give  it  all 
to  the  establishment  and  spread  of  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ.  This  much  about  my  faith, 
now  a  word  as  to  practice. 

''  Shortly  after  I  was  converted,  about  fif- 
teen years  ago,  and  before  I  was  baptized,  I 
decided  to  give  at  least  a  tenth  of  every  dollar 
that  the  Lord  gave  me.  In  my  new  found 
joy  I  wanted  to  give  more,  but  in  talking  with 
the  Lo-t-d  about  it  I  felt  that  I  should  not  do 
it.  I  have  kept  the  rule  of  taking  the  tenth 
out  of  the  money  as  it  came  in,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  about  four  years.  During  that 
time  I  gave  something,  but  did  not  set  apart 
a  tenth  of  all   the  money  that  came  in,  for  the 


196  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

simple  reason  that  I  did  not  think  it  my  own. 
On  account  of  my  peculiar  connection  with  a 
certain  enterprise,  and  its  unexpected  collapse, 
I  was  suddenly  thrown  into  debt  'head  and 
ears.' 

"  I  believe  in  a  Christianity  that  pays  one 
hundred  cents  to  the  dollar,  so  I  made  things 
point  to  the  clearing  off  of  debts.  However, 
I  got  through  safely  and  had  about  five  hun- 
dred dollars  over,  which  amount  I  immediately 
tithed.  I  do  not  now,  however,  think  I  did 
right;  debt  or  no  debt,  I  think  now  that  I 
should  have  stuck  closer  to  my  rule.  In  my 
selling  out  to  continue  my  studies  at  McMaster 
Hall,  I  can  see  several  places  where  I  lost 
quite  heavily.  It  may  be  that  these  losses 
would  have  been  avoided  had  I  been  strictly 
true  to  the  principle. 

''  However,  in  the  meantime,  it  is  my  duty 
to  give  a  tenth,  and  I  rejoice  in  the  privilege, 
and  I  hope  to  see  the  time  when  it  will  be  my 
duty  to  give  more,  but  that  will  not  be  until 
my  income  is  greater  than  that  of  a  student. 
Having  usually  a  little  of  the  Lord's  money 


or^  Light  front  my  Forge.  197 

on  hand,  I  give  not  altogether  as  I  ma}^  be 
urged  by  eloquent  emotional  speeches,  but  to 
the  departments  of  work  that  I  believe  to  be 
most  needy  and  deserving." 

Leader. — ''  I  regard  the  testimony  of  the 
young  man  who  has  just  taken  his  seat  as  im- 
portant, and  all  the  more  so,  because  he  gives 
it  without  knowing  anything  of  my  particular 
theory,  this  being  the  first  meeting  he  has  at- 
tended. His  experience  fully  confirms  the 
promises  of  the  Bible  as  interpreted  b}^  myself, 
and  is  a  repetition,  as  an  individual,  of  the 
Jewish  national  experience,  for  when  they 
paid  tithes  they  prospered,  and  when  they  did 
not,  disaster  and  defeat  attended  them.  Our 
brother  certainly  makes  a  mistake  in  express- 
ing the  opinion  that  the  New  Testament  does 
not  demand  the  same  minimum  sum  as  the  Old 
Testament,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  be  convinced 
of  his  error  if  he  digs  a  little  deeper  into  the 
subject. 

''The  meeting  is  now  open  for  more  testi- 
monies." 

Fourth    Witness. — "  I  am  a  minister  of  the 


198  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

Gospel  in  a  distant  city,  and  I  gladly  give  my 
experience  in  the  '  giving  a  tenth.'  In  Sep- 
tember, 1883,  after  having  the  subject  brought 
before  me  in  some  pamphlets  that  were  issued 
by  a  '  layman '  in  Chicago,  and  after  earnest 
prayer,  I  concluded  to  set  apart  henceforth  one- 
tenth  of  my  income  as  the  Lord's  portion.  It 
required  faith  to  take  the  step  just  then,  for 
my  finances  were  in  anything  but  a  flourishing 
condition,  and  my  needs  were  pressing.  How- 
ever, from  that  hour,  the  question  of  giving 
was  settled  with  me,  and  now  I  have  pretty 
strong  convictions  on  the  subject  of  giving  to 
the  Lord's  work.  I  never  had  any  real  joy  in 
giving  till  I  set  apart  a  tenth  as  the  Lord's, 
and  then  giving  became  an  easy,  delightful 
service.  I  was  at  once  brought  into  a  new  fel- 
lowship with  Christ,  and  have  been  very  much 
blessed  in  the  Lord's  work.  The  most  pros- 
perous years  of  my  ministerial  career  have 
been  since  I  sought  thus  to  *  honor  the  Lord ' 
with  my  substance. 

*'  For  a  time  I  said  nothing  about  my  new 
decision,  determining  to  watch  carefully  the 


<9r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  199 

effect  upon  myself  and  give  it  a  fair  trial  be- 
fore saying  much  about  it.  In  a  few  months, 
however,  I  felt  that  I  could  speak,  and,  as  my 
people  know,  I  am  now  an  earnest  advocate 
of  '  proportionate  giving,'  and  think  the  tenth 
the  smallest  proportion  that  should  be  set  apart 
as  the  Lord's. 

"  I  may  say  since  I  adopted  the  tithe  system 
I  have  had  less  worry  about  finances  than  ever 
before,  though  my  salary  is  below  the  average 
city  salary." 

Leader. — "  That  experience  is  true  to  the 
Bible  pattern  and  is  a  fulfilment  of  the  prom- 
ises of  God.  I  am  under  great  obligation  to 
this  city  clergyman  for  his  definite  testimony. 
Now  let  us  have  another." 

Fifth  Witness. — "  I  adopted  the  tithing  sys- 
tem seven  years  ago.  My  income  since  that 
time  has  been  about  quadrupled.  I  may  say, 
however,  that  while  an  earnest  believer  in  syste- 
matic beneficence,  I  am  by  no  means  sure  that 
the  tenth  should  be  given  by  every  one,  regard- 
less of  their  circumstances.  If  it  is  the  proper 
proportion  for  the  poor   and  the   struggling, 


200  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

then,  assuredly,  a  larger  proportion  should  be 
given  by  those  who  are  in  circumstances  of 
ease  or  affluence.  Some  of  the  vexed  and  vex- 
ing questions  of  the  day  would  be  speedily 
adjusted  if  men  generally  would  give  as  God 
hath  prospered  them." 

Leader. — "  The  gentleman  who  has  just 
spoken  will  pardon  me  if  I  more  fully  intro- 
duce him  to  this  audience.  He  is  a  Methodist 
local  preacher,  of  great  acceptability ;  he  is  also 
a  medical  doctor,  and,  I  believe,  gave  up  a  suc- 
cessful practice  of  medicine  for  another  line  of 
business  in  which  he  is  eminently  successful, 
and  has  few  equals  in  the  same  line.  To  say 
the  least,  it  is  a  strange  coincidence  that  his 
financial  success  dates  from  the  time  he  com- 
menced tithing  his  income.  Now  for  another 
witness." 

Sixth  Witness. — ''  My  experience  of  the 
practice  of  tithing  my  income  has  been  so 
limited  that  I  cannot  speak  positively  of  its 
benefit  to  me,  or  other\vise.  I  have  long  be- 
lieved that  every  one  who  professed  to  be  a  fol- 
lower of  Jesus  Christ  was  bound,  as  a  matter 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge,  201 

of  duty  as  well  as  love  to  Him  to  contribute  of 
his  substance  towards  the  support  and  exten- 
sion of  His  cause.  But  while  giving,  as  I 
thought,  liberally,  it  was  spasmodically  and 
generally  unsatisfactory  to  myself  Some 
years  ago  I  thought  this  matter  over  to  see  if 
there  was  no  definite  rule  of  Christian  giving, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  every  one 
ought  to  devote  at  least  one-tenth  of  his  in- 
come to  the  Lord. 

"At  that  time  I  did  not  adopt  the  principle, 
and  whether  through  that  neglect  or  not  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say,  but  of  this  I  am  confident, 
had  I  given  a  certain  sum  which  I  felt  I  ought 
to  have  given,  and  which  I  then  had  by  me,  I 
would  have  escaped  a  great  (for  me)  financial 
loss.  Had  I  given  that  money  I  would  not 
have  been  in  a  position  to  have  gone  into  the 
venture,  which  promised  very  great  returns, 
but  which  proved  a  great  disaster,  absorbing 
not  onl}'-  the  first  sum  put  in,  but  many  sub- 
sequent ones,  which  I  was  under  obligation  to 
pay.     For  the  past  two  years  I  have  adopted 

the  principle  of  '  systematic  giving '  of  at  least 

14 


202  The  Palh  to    Wealth; 

one-ten  til  of  my  income,  and  so  far  have  found 
no  reason  to  regret  the  decision.  During  the 
latter  period  my  financial  affairs  have  been  in 
the  most  satisfactory  condition  I  have  ever  had 
them." 

Leader. — "As  many  of  you  know,  the  last 
witness  is  a  leading  man  in  financial  circles 
in  our  neighboring  city,  as  well  as  the  man- 
ager of  one  of  the  largest  loan  societies. 
Now  the  gentleman  who  was  on  his  feet  can 
speak.'^ 

Seventh  Witness. — ^'  I  am  a  farmer,  without 
any  education,  and  not  used  to  speaking  in 
public,  but  I  came  to  this  meeting  to  give  my 
experience  as  a  warning  to  others,  if  for  noth- 
ing else.  When  I  was  giving  the  tenth  of  all 
my  income  to  God  I  prospered  much  tempo- 
rally, and  in  spiritual  experience  as  well.  I 
am  sorry  that  I  did  not  keep  it  up;  one  said" 
that  I  was  crazy,  and  another,  it  was  not  neces- 
sary, as  I  am  a  poor  man,  and  I  did  not  know 
myself  for  certain,  so  I  gave  it  up. 

''  Since  then  I  could  tell  you  of  a  long  list  of 
failures.     I  commenced  to  give  the  tenth  again 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  203 

on  the  yth  of  April,  and  I  intend  to  do  so  as 
long  as  I  live.  I  cannot  tell  how  much  it  will 
be,  neither  do  I  intend  to  let  any  one  else 
know.  I  will  look  for  the  promise  in  Malachi, 
and  believe  what  Christ  says  in  the  fifth  chap- 
ter of  Matthew.  My  desire  is  to  be  satisfied 
with  my  portion,  as  my  life  will  soon  be  a 
thing  of  the  past.  God  help  me  to  be  faithful 
to  the  end." 

Leader, — ''  You  see,  my  friends,  it  is  the 
same  old  story  of  defeat  and  disaster  while 
living  in  disobedience,  and  blessed  prosperity 
when  all  the  tithes  are  brought  in.  Now  for 
another  witness  to  the  truth  of  God." 

Eighth  Witness. — ^'  I  desire  to  make  a  state- 
ment of  my  experience.  Our  family  com- 
menced, some  years  ago,  to  give,  or  rather  to 
pay,  to  the  Lord  the  amount  which  His  law  has 
set  down  as  the  minimum  sum  due  to  Him. 
Before  we  were  honest  towards  the  Lord  in  this 
way  we  were  constantly  meeting  v/ith  losses, 
which  undoubtedly  we  deserved  for  robbing 
Him  of  His  dues.  First,  we  lost  by  fire  a 
house  on  which  there  was  a  very  small  insur- 


204  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

ance ;  tHen  we  were  burned  out  of  a  rented 
house  and  shop,  and  lost  most  of  our  furniture 
and  part  of  our  stock,  both  of  which  were  unin- 
sured ;  shortly  after  that  we  lost  one  hundred 
dollars  in  cash,  and  one  of  the  family  took  sick 
and  the  doctoring  was  a  heavy  cost,  so  that,  in 
one  way  and  another,  we  had  much  more  taken 
out  of  us  than  we  had  withheld  from  the  Lord. 
After  these  losses  our  eyes  were  opened  to  see 
our  duty  in  this  respect,  and  we  never  pros- 
pered so  well  financially  as  since  we  set  up  our 
tithe  purse.  Then,  it  is  so  pleasant  when  a 
call  is  made  asking  aid  for  the  Church  or  ben- 
evolent purposes  to  always  have  money  on 
hand  for  the  purpose.'^ 

A  man  who  stood  waiting  for  his  turn  to 
speak  said : — ''  I  have  for  four  years  past 
adopted  the  plan  of  setting  aside  one-tenth  of 
my  earnings,  and  I  would  not  abandon  it.  In- 
stead of  being  worried  every  time  I  am.  asked 
for  a  subscription,  I  can  always  say  at  once 
what  I  can  do,  and  have  realized  what  I  never 
did  before,  the  '  luxury  of  giving.'  I  might 
say  more,  but  will  give  way  for  others." 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  205 

Another  said  : — ''  I  am  from  Nova  Scotia.  I 
have  been  giving  one-tenth  of  my  income  to 
the  Lord  for  a  number  of  years,  and  have  been 
enabled  to  give  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  dol- 
lars per  year." 

Another  stood  up  and  testified : — ''  I  am  a 
general  merchant.  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I 
adopted  the  plan  of  tithing  about  two  years 
ago.  I  have  given  on  system  for  some  years, 
that  is,  I  gave  a  certain  sum,  but  being  in 
debt,  as  business  men  generally  are,  I  did  not 
feel  like  giving  a  tenth  until  I  read  a  tract  on 
Christian  giving.  I  then  adopted  the  plan, 
and  have  no  cause  to  regret  it.  My  business 
has  nearly  doubled  since  I  started.  I  can  say 
with  the  Psalmist,  as  in  the  twenty-third 
Psalm.  I  have  distributed  a  number  of  tracts, 
and  others  are  about  trying  the  plan." 

A  young  man  stood  and  testified  as  follows : 
"  For  the  past  few  months  I  have  been  tithing 
my  income,  although  I  am  in  debt  and  strug- 
gling to  pay  up.  Formerl}^  I  believed  that  so 
long  as  I  was  in  debt  I  had  no  business  to  give 
to  the  Lord,  but  now  I  regard  the  debt  to  the 


2o6  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

Lord  as  the  first  and  most  important.  I  believe 
that  had  I  always  adopted  this  plan,  I  would 
to-day  be  in  a  better  position  financially. 
When  I  have  withheld  the  tenth  from  God, 
He  has  taken  it  from  me  through  sickness  or 
loss  of  some  kind.  I  believe  that  a  tenth  is 
the  least  that  any  Christian  should  give  to  the 
Lord,  and  that  every  one  should  go  as  far  be- 
yond that  as  his  income  and  circumstances  will 
allow." 

Leader. — "  The  gentleman,  to  whose  experi- 
ence you  have  just  listened,  is  the  Secretary 
of  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  one  of  our  cities.  If  he 
will  pardon  me,  I  will  say,  that  if  the  Bible  is 
not  true,  and  if  human  experience  cannot  be 
relied  upon,  he  is  acting  the  part  of  a  fool  to 
give  away  ten  per  cent,  of  his  income  while  he 
is  in  debt  and  expect  to  get  out  of  debt  thereby ; 
but  if  the  Bible  is  true,  and  the  testimonies 
of  those  who  have  tested  its  promises  count 
for  anything,  then  his  decision  to  tithe  his 
income  is  the  outcome  of  the  highest  wisdom, 
and  his  acts  must  be  approved  even  by  men 
who  look  no  higher  than  a  safe  financial  in- 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  207 

vestmeut.  Now  we  are  ready  for  another  wit- 
ness." 

Thirteenth  WitJiess. — *'  I  hastened  to  enroll 
myself  amongst  those  who,  for  many  years, 
have  carried  out,  and  in  some  cases  doubled 
the  tithe  mentioned.  My  heart  goes  out  to  all 
those  who  are  carrying  out  this  rule,  not  as  a 
matter  of  duty  simply,  but  out  of  love  and 
gratitude  to  Jesus  Christ." 

Leader, — "  For  a  leading  stock  broker  in  one 
of  our  largest  cities,  this  experience  is  good, 
though  it  be  short  and  given  with  characteristic 
modesty.     Now  the  next." 

Fourteenth  Witness. — '^  I  am  a  Methodist 
minister  in  charge  of  a  city  church.  I  have 
made  it  a  rule  of  my  life  to  give  one-tenth  of 
my  income  to  benevolent  enterprises.  I  set 
aside  one-tenth  and  then  use  it  for  the  Lord  to 
the  best  advantage  possible.  I  would  not 
abandon  this  practice." 

Fifteenth  Witness. — ''  I,  too,  am  a  Methodist 
minister,  and  I  beg  to  say  that  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year  I  have  been  keeping  an 
account  so  as   to  prove  to  myself  that  I  am 


2o8 


The  Path  to   Wealth  ; 


giving  not  less  than  one-tenth.  I  thinK  one- 
tenth  a  low  proportion,  but  I  have  only  this 
year  begun  '  systematic  giving.'  I  am  spe- 
cially interested  in  the  subject,  and  am  doing 
all  I  can  to  extend  the  doctrine.'^ 


THE  HINDOO   WHO  GAVE  TITHES. 


Sixteenth  Witness. — "  I  am  a  Baptist  min- 
ister, and  a  returned  missionary.  If  I  take  up 
a  little  more  time  in  this  meeting  than  the 
average  speaker,  I  trust  my  long  experience 
and  great  love  for  the  cause  will  be  a  sufficient 


or^  Light  from  7ny  Forge.  209 

excuse.  Some  twenty-five  years  ago  it  was 
my  privilege  to  introduce  the  Bible  system  of 
finance — a  proportionate  part  of  the  income 
regularly  and  systematically  devoted  to  God — 
into  a  feeble  mission  in  India.  Not  a  few  of 
my  native  brethren  received  the  teaching 
eagerly  and  obeyed  it  promptly.  Among  these 
was  one  of  my  native  preachers — Bhelsari 
Naih.  This  man,  prior  to  tithing  his  income, 
was  always  in  difficulty,  even  complaining  of 
the  smallness  of  his  income  (he  received  $4.80 
a  month  for  a  family  of  five  adults).  He 
began  at  once  to  tithe  himself  After  about 
three  months  he  and  I  met  in  connection  with 
our  work  among  the  heathen,  and  the  follow- 
ing conversation  occurred :  '  Well,  Bhelsari, 
how  does  the  tithing  system  work  ? '  '  Capitally, 
sir.'  ^  Ah,  how  is  that  ?  you  were  always  com- 
plaining of  being  hard  up,  and  even  in  debt, 
when  you  used  your  whole  income  for  self; 
now,  you  give  one-tenth  to  God,  you  have  no 
complaints.'  '  Ah,  sir,  the  nine-tenths,  with 
God's  blessing,  is  better  far  than  the  ten-tenths 
used  to  be  without  it.'     This  brother  continued 


2IO  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

to  pay  into  my  hands  the  snm  of  forty-eight 
cents  every  month  as  long  as  he  was  associated 
with  me  in  that  part  of  the  field.  What  he 
afterwards  did,  of  course,  I  cannot  say. 

''  In  1865,  in  the  town  of  Brunswick,  Maine, 
a  young  lady  heard  a  sermon  on  this  subject. 
She  was  not  then  a  Christian.  Some  three 
months  later,  the  minister  who  preached  that 
sermon  heard  a  lady's  voice  calling  to  him  in 
subdued  tones  on  the  street.  He  paused  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  the  lady.  The 
substance  of  the  conversation  is  given  below : 

"  '  You  have  the  advantage  of  me.  Miss,  you 
seem  to  know  me ! '  '  Yes,  sir,  I  heard  you 
preach  at  McLellan's  Hall  about  three  months 
ago,  on  the  subject  of  giving  a  tenth  to  God. 
I  am  a  telegraph  operator.  I  have  a  widowed 
mother  and  a  younger  sister  to  support.  Your 
arguments  struck  me  as  being  Scriptural  and 
conclusive,  and  though  not  then  a  Christian, 
I  determined  to  obey,  out  of  regard  for  the 
authority  of  God.  I  paid  my  tenth  from  that 
time,  and  I  have  been  wishing  to  see  you  for 
some  weeks  past  to  tell  you  that  what  yoxi 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  211 

told  us  was  proved  true  in  my  own  experi- 
ence. I  had  not  tithed  myself  two  months 
before  my  salary  was  raised  without  any  hint 
or  solicitation  from  me,  to  an  amount  suffi- 
ciently large  to  more  than  cover  the  tithe  paid 
up  to  that  time  to  God.' "  This  young  lady  had 
been  converted  in  the  meantime. 

^'A  young  man  in  Calcutta,  India,  heard 
the  same  sermon  from  the  same  preacher  in 
1873,  and  he  became  convinced  of  his  duty 
with  reference  to  paying  his  tenth  to  God. 
He  was  in  the  Government  Treasury  Depart- 
ment on  a  salary  of  about  eighty-five  dollars 
a  month.  His  tithe  was  promptly  and  honestly 
paid,  hoping  for  nothing  again.  Now,  mark 
the  result ;  he  told  the  preacher  that  within 
two  months  his  salary  was  raised  to  ninety- 
six  dollars  a  month  without  any  solicitation  on 
his  part. 

"In  1863,  in  Oxford  County,  a  farmer  who 
tithed  himself  was  singularly  saved  from  loss 
by  the  weevil.  That  insect  came  into  that 
neighborhood  in  that  year  and  ate  up  all  be- 
fore it.     The  crops  of  others  all  around  were 


212  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

scarcely  worth  cutting.  Several  of  his  neigh- 
bors wondered  at  the  good  crops  scarcely 
touched  by  the  weevil  which  they  saw  on 
neighbor  H.^s  fields.  They  offered  him  four 
and  even  five  acres  of  theirs  for  one  of  his. 
Here  is  a  literal  fulfilment  of  Malachi  iii.  ii. 
That  farmer  still  lives,  an  old  man  of  nearly 
eighty-seven,  and  can  ratify  the  statement  here 
made. 

^'  In  my  own  experience,  during  a  period  of 
over  twenty-five  years,  I  have  clear  and  in- 
dubitable proof  that  the  Lord  God  means  what 
he  says  in  the  passage  quoted.  For  several 
years  the  blessing  came  in  the  form  of  occa- 
sional trifling  increases  in  regular  income,  and 
frequently  in  the  shape  of  extraneous  financial 
aid  over  and  above  income,  as  need  required. 
In  1873,  the  income  was  doubled.  In  1881, 
we  began  to  pay  one-tenth  and  give  one- 
fortieth,  equal  in  all  to  one-eighth  of  our  in- 
come, and  the  blessing  has  come  in  increased 
measure,  both  spiritual  and  temporal.  In  1879, 
we  had  given,  above  our  tithe,  under  pressure 
of    circumstances,    nearly     one-twentieth,    or 


07%  Light  from  fuy  Forge.  213 

about  one-seventh  of  all,  and  just  at  that 
juncture  were  ordered  out  of  India,  our  then 
present  fieM  of  labor.  We  had  to  pay  our 
own  expenses,  and  were  short  of  means,  lacked 
nearly  five  hundred  dollars,  as  we  supposed. 
We  continued  giving  and  asked  the  Lord  to 
supply  our  well.  Just  the  last  two  weeks  we 
were  in  the  country,  He  sent  us  from  extra- 
neous sources,  without  our  asking  any  man  for 
help,  the  sum  of  four  hundred  and  eight  dol- 
lars, which  was  enough,  with  what  we  had, 
to  pay  our  way  home  and  have  a  little  left.  I 
could  greatly  multiply  instances  of  this  kind 
but  I  refrain. 

"  I  will  venture  to  give  a  recent  demonstra- 
tion of  His  faithfulness.  The  one-eighth  is 
still  placed  in  the  Lord's  treasury,  hoping  for 
nothing  again,  giving  because  we  love  to  give, 
would  not  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of 
giving.  During  the  first  three  months  of  this 
year  (1887),  we  were  permitted  to  place,  out 
of  comparatively  small  means,  twenty-three 
dollars  in  the  Lord's  treasury,  that  is,  out  of 
our  regular  income.     Now,  mark,  during  that 


214  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

same  period  the  Lord  gave  us  from  extraneous 
sources  entirely,  outside  our  regular  stipend, 
the  sum  of  seventy-three  dollars,  two  hundred 
per  cent,  interest.  The  Lord  will  alloiv  no 
man  to  be  His  creditor !  Instead  of  putting 
our  funds  into  so  called  insurance  societies 
or  superannuated  ministers'  funds,  we  place  it 
in  the  Bank  of  Heaven,  the  Lord  pays  the 
interest  while  we  live,  and  should  the  husband 
be  removed,  the  wife  will  get  the  principal, 
that  is,  if  she  personally  trusts  in  Him.  Jer. 
xlix.  II." 

A  young  man  rose  and  said  :  ''  I  belong  to 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  I  desire  to 
say  that  I  have  practised  the  tenth  plan  of 
giving,  for  religious  and  charitable  purposes, 
for  two  years,  and  the  result  has  been  to  re- 
move any  doubt  which  may  have  existed  in 
adopting  it.  Previous  to  adopting  this  system, 
I  was  frequently  troubled  as  to  what  I  should 
give  to  this  or  that  object,  but  now  I  know 
at  once  what  I  can  do  by  consulting  my  tenth 
account.  At  the  outset,  intimate  friends  were 
almost   impatient  with  me  because  I  was,  in 


or,  Light  from  my  Fo7'ge,  215 

tlieir  opinion,  giving  more  than  I  was  able ;  I 
did  not  feel  so,  and  the  result  has  been  very 
satisfactory.  It  led  me  to  look  closely  after 
my  expenditures,  and  I  have  saved  sufficient 
in  that  way  to  more  than  pay  the  increased 
amount  given.  Then  the  Lord  has  blessed  me 
in  greater  measure  during  these  two  years  in 
temporal  matters  than  before  ;  I  have  received, 
from  unexpected  sources,  outside  of  my  em- 
ployment, larger  sums  than  I  have  given.  I 
shall  adhere  to  the  plan  whether  my  revenues 
increase  or  decrease,  because  I  believe  it  to  be 
the  right  one,  and  because  I  can,  in  the  ma- 
jority of  cases,  give  promptly  and  cheerfully  to 
objects  which  commend  themselves  to  my 
judgment." 

A  young  lady  said,  with  much  modesty :  "I 
am  a  stenographer,  and  I  should  like  to  add 
my  testimony  to  what  others  have  said.  It 
is  now  nearly  two  years  since  I  first  gave  the 
matter  any  serious  consideration,  and  after 
reading  up  the  subject,  and  thinking  it  over 
carefully,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
m}^    duty   to    give  a  tenth,  and  that  God   re- 


2i6  The   Path  to    Wealth; 

quired  it  of  me,  and  once  being  fully  convinced 
that  that  was  the  proper  way  to  give,  I  have 
followed  it  ever  since.  I  can  truly  say  that  I 
have  derived  more  pleasure  from  giving  in  this 
way  than  ever  before.  Formerly,  when  asked 
to  give  to  charitable  purposes,  the  question 
would  arise  in  my  mind  as  to  whether  or  not 
I  could  afford  to  do  so,  but  now,  knowing  that 
I  have  just  so  much  to  give,  I  can  proportion 
it,  and  thus  give  to  many  objects  I  would  have 
had  to  refuse,  were  it  not  for  this  system  of 
giving  one-tenth. 

''  I  consider  the  Lord's  account  as  sacred  as 
any  account  between  man  and  man,  and  regu- 
larly each  month,  as  I  draw  my  salary,  the 
Lord's  share  is  laid  aside.  I  certainly  do  not 
regret  having  adopted  the  system,  and  can 
truthful! 3^  say  that  I  never  miss  what  I  give  in 
this  way." 

A  clergyman  testified  as  follows : — "  I  am 
a  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  I  came  here  on 
purpose  to  testify  in  behalf  of  this  faith.  I 
have  practised  along  this  line  for  about  a  year 
and  have  scrupulously  devoted  a  tenth  of  my 


or,  Light  from  my  Forge.  217 

income  to  the  service  of  God,  and  by  reflection 
have  learned  to  recognize  several  things. 

"  (i.)  That  by  dividing  the  profits  with  God 
I  realize  that  He  is  a  living  partner  with  me 
in  my  work :  that  He  is  the  God  of  dollars 
and  cents,  as  well  as  the  God  of  spiritual 
blessings.  It  has  enabled  me  to  live  nearer 
to  the  requirement  of  Scripture,  which  says, 
'  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow,'  because,  if 
in  trouble,  I  can  talk  with  God,  the  wiser 
partner,  and  He  sets  the  matter  right  in  a 
little  time ;  in  brief,  it  takes  a  load  of  worry  off 
my  shoulders. 

"  (2)  This  last  year  has  been  the  year  of  my 
life  so  far,  for  *  outgo ; '  that  is,  never  since  I 
entered  the  ministry  have  I  had  so  many 
obligations  to  meet  in  one  year,  so  that  this 
year  has  not  been  a  favorable  one  by  which  to 
test  this  question  from  a  financial  point  of 
view.  Yet,  during  the  year,  I  have  held  rig- 
orously to  the  principle.  You  may  ask  the 
question,  '  did  it  interfere  or  cripple  you  in 
your  finances  ?  '  I  have  only  one  answer  to 
give  and  that  is,  the  nine-tenths  of  my  income 


2i8  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

met  all  my  expenditure,  and  all  my  household 
expenses,  and  did  it  easier  than  ever  the  whole 
income  did  it  before.  This  may  seem  strange 
to  some,  yet  it  is  true,  though  I  cannot  explain 
it.  It  is  like  some  other  things  that  God  does. 
I  cannot  explain  them,  I  only  know  them  to 
be  facts.  My  experience  teaches  me,  that  if 
a  man  pays  his  tenth  to  God,  that  $9  will  sup- 
ply his  needs  better  than  $10  will  if  he  robs 
God. 

"(3.)  Before  adopting  God's  plan  I  often 
suffered  in  my  conscience,  as  any  sincere  per- 
son must  who  does  likewise,  about  doing  my 
duty  in  giving.  Sometimes  I  thought  I  gave 
too  much,  and  sometimes  I  thought  I  gave  too 
little,  but  when  my  attention  was  called  to 
God's  plan  of  giving,  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion to  see  whether  it  was  God's  plan,  I  ac- 
cepted it,  and  now  I  know  when  I  have  done 
my  duty,  which  knowledge  greatly  helps  me 
in  the  Divine  life.  Now  I  am  at  rest,  for  I 
give  as  the  Lord  prospers  me." 

Another  brother  said  : — ''  I  live  on  a  farm 
and  have    practised    systematic    giving   about 


or.  Light  from  my  Forge.  219 

three  months,  and  find  no  difficulty  in  work- 
ing it  on  a  farm.  As  to  the  financial  aspect 
of  the  question,  I  have  not  had  time  to  test 
that." 

The  head  master  of  a  public  school  said  : — 
^"^  I  adopted  this  system  about  a  year  ago,  and 
find  I  have  more  to  give  to  God  and  more  for 
myself  than  ever  before.  It  helps  both  ways, 
more  for  God  and  more  for  myself" 

Another  testified : — "  I  am  a  shoemaker. 
Since  I  adopted  this  system  my  business  is 
better,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  the  only 
way  of  obeying  God  on  the  line  of  giving.  I 
am  a  warm  advocate  of  the  system  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  a  blessing  to  me,  and  I  want 
others  to  share  in  it." 

A  lady  gave  her  experience  next : — "  I  have 
practised  tithing  for  more  than  ten  years ;  dur- 
ing that  time  I  lived  on  a  farm,  and  I  find  it  as 
easily  worked  on  a  farm  as  anywhere  else.  I 
have  prospered  under  the  system,  and  always 
have  money  on  hand  for  the  Lord's  cause.  I 
do  not  stand  in  fear  of  being  asked  for  money, 
for  it  is  a  pleasure  to  give,  as  we  look  upon  it 


220  The  Path  to    Wealth; 

as  not  our  own  and  have  no  right  to  withhold 
it." 

Another  lady  testified  as  follows : — "  It  is 
now  over  two  years  since  I  was  convinced  that 
the  tenth  belonged  to  God,  and  I  began  to  pay 
Him  this  debt.  Previous  to  this  I  had  never 
given  in  any  kind  of  a  systematic  way,  and 
never  derived  any  particular  pleasure  from 
giving ;  but  since  I  started  to  tithe  my  income 
and  give  systematically,  I  have  taken  real  en- 
joyment out  of  the  little  I  have  been  able  to 
give.  I  keep  an  exact  account  of  what  comes 
in,  and  tithe  it  and  place  it  to  the  Lord's  credit, 
and  I  know  at  all  times  just  what  I  can  give 
to  this  or  that  object,  and  have  no  fears,  after 
it  is  given,  that  I  have  been  too  hasty  and  have 
given  more  than  I  ought  or  could  afford.  I 
have  never  missed  what  I  have  given,  and,  in 
fact,  I  have  earned  more  money  in  the  past  two 
years  than  ever  before  in  my  life." 

A  godly  minister  "gave  the  following  ex- 
traordinary testimony  : — "  I  want  to  bear  my 
testimony  to  the  privilege  and  luxury  of  giv- 
ing away  money  for  God.     I  am  a  Methodist 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  221 

minister,  have  a  wife  and  three  daughters  to 
support,  and  have  never  been  in  receipt  of  a 
large  income.  However,  with  prudence  and 
economy,  and,  above  all,  with  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  our  limited  store,  we  live  in  comfort 
and  manage  to  lay  aside,  for  benevolent  and 
religious  purposes,  a  proportion  of  our  income 
that  far  exceeds  one-tenth  or  even  one-fifth  of 
the  entire  amount.  For  the  encouragement 
of  others,  and  more  especially  for  the  Divine 
glory,  I  will  furnish  you  with  a  few  of  the 
financial  facts  of  my  history. 

''  Somewhat  over  ten  years  ago,  when  my 
savings  amounted  to  $600,  I  was  deeply  im- 
pressed that  I  should  contribute  one-half  of 
that  sum  towards  the  cause  of  Christ ;  and, 
although  it  had  been  m}^  intention  to  devote 
my  small  capital  for  an  entirely  different  pur- 
pose, I  resolved  to  obey  what  I  firmly  believed 
to  be  a  Divine  intimation,  and  accordingly  the 
sum  of  $300  was  presented  as  a  thank-offering 
to  God.  The  joy  and  rapture  that  filled  my 
soul  in  connection  with  this  act  of  consecration 
were  more  than  a  compensation  for  the  bestow- 


222  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

ment  of  half  my  earthly  substance  for  the 
Master's  use,  teaching  me  these  lessons:  (i.) 
That  God  does  not  remain  long  in  His  chil- 
dren's debt.  (2.)  That  what  we  get  from  God 
is  vastly  more  than  what  we  give  to  God,  and 
(3.)  That  it  is  always  safe  to  obey  the  voice  of 
the  Spirit  without  question  or  debate. 

"  Within  three  days  after  subscribing  the 
sum  named,  it  was  all  returned  to  me  again. 
This  was  a  matter  of  great  surprise  to  me,  as 
I  had  expected  to  pay  the  amount  in  full. 
Shortly  after  this  I  contributed  the  sum  of 
$50  towards  the  erection  of  a  church  on  my 
charge,  and  a  few  months  later,  when  the  same 
church  was  dedicated,  I  was  led  to  promise  the 
sum  of  $1500  more,  which,  at  that  time,  was 
$900  more  than  all  I  possessed.  Under  ordi- 
nary circumstances,  I  admit  that  such  an  act 
would  have  been  one  of  great  imprudence  and 
even  fanaticism ;  but  when  God  calls,  the 
measure  of  our  ability  is  never  the  measure  of 
our  duty.  The  Israelites  had  no  ability  to 
open  up  a  channel  through  the  Red  Sea,  yet 
they  were  commanded  to  go  forward,  and  the 


f^i- 


THFRE  IS  A  LAD  HERE  WHICH  HATH  FIVE  BARLEY  LOAVES 
THERE  'SJ^LA^D^H  ^^^^^^  ^^^^^^  „    ^^    ^^^^  ^,  ^^^^^ 


224  ^^^  -Az//^  to  Wealth; 

disciples  had  but  a  beggarly  supply  of  food  in 
the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes ;  nevertheless 
they  were  instructed  to  feed  the  hungry  multi- 
tude. Verily,  '  where  wit  and  reason  end, 
there  faith  begins.'  God,  by  His  miraculous 
power,  cut  a  passage  through  the  Red  Sea  for 
the  advancing  hosts  of  His  people,  and  the  Di- 
vine Christ  multiplied  the  scanty  provision  in 
hand  till  it  satisfied  the  craving  hunger  of  more 
than  five  thousand  people.  Trust  in  God  al- 
ways comes  out  on  the  winning  side.  Having 
pledged  the  sum  of  $1500,  my  soul  was  filled 
with  unutterable  sweetness  and  joy.  I  felt 
richer  than  ever,  and  also  that  I  was  a  thou- 
sand leagues  beyond  all  necessity  for  human 
sympathy  and  commiseration.  Some  sympa- 
thizing friends,  however,  regarding  my  case  as 
a  pitiable  one,  subscribed  the  sum  of  $600  to- 
wards assisting  to  meet  my  heavy  obligation. 
This  donation  the  Lord  would  not  permit  me 
to  accept,  and  I  have  never  appropriated  one 
dollar  of  it  to  this  day  for  my  own  benefit ;  all 
that  was  paid  on  it  has  long  since  been  handed 
over  to  the  building  fund  of  the  said  church. 


<?r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  225 

It  was  the  Lord's  will  that  I  should  pay  the 
entire  amount  of  my  subscription  unaided  by 
the  kindness  of  my  friends.  By  a  succession 
of  providences  I  was  enabled  to  pay  every  dol- 
lar and  part  in  advance,  finding  myself  con- 
siderably better  off  in  earthly  substance,  to  say 
nothing  of  spiritual  enrichment,  than  when  the 
subscription  was  made.  Within  six  weeks 
after  the  church  to  which  I  had  given  so 
largely  was  dedicated  sixty  souls  were  con- 
verted to  God,  making  me  feel,  I  can  assure 
you,  that  my  investment  for  Christ  was  al- 
ready bearing  an  enormous  interest. 

''  In  the  last  ten  years  I  have  given  away 
not  less  than  $3,500,  and  I  cannot  describe  to 
you  the  satisfaction,  and  joy,  and  blessing 
that  have  come  to  me  and  my  family  as  the 
result. 

''  This  is  my  testimony,  that  the  promises 
of  God,  in  reference  to  temporal  blessings,  are 
just  as  reliable  as  those  pertaining  to  spiritual 
blessings,  providing  the  conditions  of  consecra- 
tion are  observed. 

"  In  regard  to  the  tenth  principle,  I  recog- 


226  TJie  Path  to    Wealth; 

nize  it  as  an  appointment  of  God  for  the  reg- 
ulation of  the  property  trust,  and  believe  it  to 
be  of  perpetual  obligation.  But  if  our  hearts  are 
imbued  with  the  self-sacrificing  love  of  Christ, 
our  contributions  will  spontaneously  overleap 
this  minimum  regulation  of  the  Divine  law, 
and  constrain  us  to  place  our  all  in  willing 
disposal  at  the  Master's  feet ;  and  we  may  rest 
assured  that  our  Father  in  Heaven,  whose 
generosity  knows  no  bounds,  who  clothes  the 
lily  with  beauty,  and  feeds  the  young  ravens 
when  they  cry,  will  leave  us  amply  sufficient 
for  all  our  temporal  needs.  '  Praise  God  from 
whom  all  blessings  flow.'  '  The  earth  is  the 
Lord's  and  the  fullness  thereof.'  " 


Closing  Remarks. 

I  think  we  have  had  enough  evidence  pre- 
sented here  to-night  to  establish  the  Bible 
case,  and  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  call  any 
more  witnesses.  The  amount  and  kind  of 
evidence  we  have  heard,  if  presented   in  any 


or.  Light  fi^oin  my  Forge.  227 

court  of  law,  would  establish,  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  any  judge  or  jury,  the  most  improbable 
kind  of  facts ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  evidence  given  is  in  support  of  what,  with- 
out it,  is  highly  probable,  the  proof  is  simply 
overwhelming,  and  if  the  human  mind  can 
rest  with  absolute  certainty  in  anything  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  in  the  three  general  prop- 
ositions which  have  been  interwoven  in  all 
our  talks  and  in  all  the  evidence  submitted. 
{a)  That  God  demands  of  all  mankind  at  least 
one-tenth  of  income,  {b)  That  in  rendering 
obedience  to  that  command  a  man  is  invariably 
better  off  financially,  and  (c)  That  if  a  man  is 
a  Christian  it  draws  him  nearer  to  God  and 
makes  his  spiritual  experience  more  real  than 
ever  before. 

I  need  not  comment  upon  the  testimonies 
which  have  been  given,  as  they  are  all  clear 
and  unmistakable.  I  will  simply  point  out 
to  any  who  may  yet  be  doubters,  that  all  the 
witnesses,  and  all  the  evidence,  will  bear  the 
strictest  tests  with  which  legal  minds  weigh 
evidence.      There  has   been   no   collusion   of 


2  28  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

witnesses,  they  are  all  strangers  one  to  the 
other,  and  one  did  not  know  what  was  to  be 
the  evidence  of  the  other.  There  has  not 
been  a  single  contradiction,  for  while  a  slight 
variation  of  opinion  has  been  expressed,  yet 
as  to  the  matter  of  fact  there  has  been  perfect 
unanimity.  The  credibility  of  these  witnesses 
is  beyond  question,  as  they  are  the  best  men 
in  the  various  communities  in  which  they  live. 
You  will  further  notice  that  the  evidence  pre- 
sented is  not  of  the  nature  of  an  opinion,  it  is 
not  simply  telling  us  what  they  believe,  for  in 
this  a  man  may  be  mistaken  ;  the  testimony  is 
to  the  fact  that  they  are  better  off  financially 
since  they  began  to  tithe  their  incomes. 

The  thought  occurs  to  me  as  I  speak,  that 
it  is  perfectly  marvellous  that  no  man  can  be 
found  who  has  become  poorer  since  he  began  to 
tithe  his  income,  and  yet  such  is  the  fact. 
This  meeting  was  fully  advertised,  and  no  pre- 
arrangement  made  as  to  w^ho  should  testify, 
and  the  result  you  have  all  heard.  Perfectly 
marvellous  to  a  man  of  doubt,  I  should  have 
said,  for  if  one  could  be  found  who  had  become 


^r,  Light  from  my  Forge.  22g 

poorer  on  account  of  tithing  his  income,  or 
since  he  began  to  do  so,  then  God  would  have 
been  found  a  liar,  which  never  can  be.  Why 
should  it  seem  a  marvel  that  God's  material 
promises  are  found  to  be  true  ?  What  is 
clearer  in  the  Bible  than  the  fact  that  God 
promises  material  blessings  to  those  who  obey 
Him  ?  What  is  more  reasonable  than  the 
universal  testimony  that  those  who  honor  God 
with  their  substance  are  honored  by  Him  in 
return,  and  in  the  same  kind  ? 

I  have  some  propositions  I  desire  to  make 
before  we  close,  to  further  strengthen  the 
evidence  for  systematic  giving. 

I  St.  It  is  perfectly  reasonable  that  God 
should  demand  a  share  of  our  earnings  to  carry 
on  His  cause  in  the  world. 

We  are  subjects  of  His  government,  He  has 
put  us  under  the  fostering  care  of  His  church, 
and  as  nothing  can  be  done  in  this  world  with- 
out money,  it  takes  money  to  carry  on  the 
cause  of  God  among  men.  Now  who  is  there 
to  pay  this  money  but  those  who  are  benefited 
by  it  ?     And  who  are  they  ?     Surely  the  an- 


230  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

swer  is,  all  who  have  heard  the  glad  tidings  of 
the  Gospel  ;  all  who  live  in  Christian  lands, 
for  what  man  is  there  who  does  not  derive 
benefit  from  Christianity?  Every  man  is 
under  all  reasonable  obligation  to  pay  his 
share  to  God's  cause,  in  the  same  way  as  every 
man  is  under  obligation  to  pay  his  share  of 
the  taxes  of  the  land  in  which  he  lives.  I 
have  no  hesitancy  in  saying  that  the  man  who 
cheats  the  municipality  in  which  he  resides,  or 
the  government  under  which  he  lives  out  of 
legal  taxes,  is  just  as  honest  a  man  as  he  who 
cheats  God  out  of  his  royal  tax. 

2d.  The  demand  for  money  from  each  in- 
dividual is  necessary.  As  just  intimated, 
nothing  can  be  done  without  money.  It  takes 
money  to  build  churches  ;  money  to  print  and 
bind  Bibles ;  money  to  support  ministers  and 
missionaries ;  money  to  feed  the  hungry  and 
clothe  the  naked,  and  give  shelter  to  the  home- 
less. The  care  of  churches,  lighting  and  heat- 
ing them,  and  all  other  incidental  expenses  of 
Christian  work  mean  an  expenditure  of  money. 
This  seems  almost  too  simple  a  proposition  to 


The  philanthropist  is  often  lost  sight  of  in  this  great  preacher. 
He  never  gave  away  less  than  one-fifth  of  his  income,  it  is  said  ; 
but  when  we  think  of  Stockwell  Orphanage  and  the  Pastor's  Col- 
lege, both  of  which  are  mainly  supported  by  him,  his  giving 
must  largely  exceed  this  proportion, 

(231) 


232  The  Path  to   Wealth; 

make,  but  for  the  fact  that  many  men  seem 
ignorant  of  it. 

3d.  This  monetary  demand  made  upon  us 
by  God  must  certainly  be  proportionate. 

He  cannot  expect  as  much  from  the  poor  as 
from  the  rich,  nor  can  He  have  left  it  to  our 
own  whims  or  fancies.  In  all  other  things  He 
is  a  God  of  law,  order  and  system ;  and  it  is 
not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  in  this  im- 
portant matter  there  is  an  exception  to  the 
rule. 

Then  it  would  seem  that  God  would  make 
the  proportion  adequate  to  the  needs  of  the 
case.  .  In  nature  all  causes  are  adequate  to  the 
effects  to  be  produced,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  God  has  established  the  same  rule  in  the 
kingdom  of  grace. 

From  the  last  three  propositions,  which  cer- 
tainly appeal  to  reason,  it  would  have  been 
very  strange  if  God,  in  His  revealed  word,  had 
neglected  to  make  adequate  provision  for  funds 
to  carry  on  His  cause  in  the  earth. 

But  the  clear  provision  has  been  made  in  the 
Bible,  and  the  demand  of  God  is  resting  upon 


or^  Light  from  my  Forge.  233 

the  people,  and  undoubtedly  when  the  people 
render  obedience  the  cause  of  God  will  make 
wonderful  advances,  and  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  will  soon  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
God  and  of  his  Christ. 

I  will  now  close  the  meeting  with  this  ex- 
hortation, which  you  will  please  take  in  place 
of  a  benediction : 

"  Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse 

that  there  may  be  meat  in  mine  house,  and 

prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 

if  I  will  not  open  you  the  windows  of  Heaven 

and  pour  you  out  a  blessing  that  there  shall 

not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it." 
16 


|ag  |0ttr  §thU, 


REV,  E.   C.  B    HALL  AM, 


(335) 


PAY  YOUR  DEBTS. 


Wk  talk  of  giving  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and 
most  Christians  think  they  are  doing  some- 
thing in  the  way  of  giving  of  their  means  to 
the  Lord.  But  before  making  much  preten- 
sion as  to  liberality  in  giving,  it  might  be  well 
to  pause  and  ask  ourselves  whether  or  not  our 
just  debts  are  paid. 

The  Lord  Jesus  does  condescend  to  accept 
gifts  from  us — gifts  prompted  by  love — but  not 
until  we  have  laid  on  His  altar  that  which  He 
claims  as  His  own. 

This  claim  many  Christians  absolutely  re- 
fuse to  recognize,  and,  therefore,  never  pay; 
and  yet  they  have  much  to  say  about  giving  to 
the  Lord. 

It  is  written,  in  Leviticus  xxvii.  30,  that 
the  one-tenth  of  all  we  have  "  *  *  '  is  the 
Lord's  ;  it  is  holy  unto  the  Lord."     That  is  to 

say,  the  Lord   claims   that  proportion   of  our 

(237) 


238 


The  Path  to    Wealth, 


means  as  His  portion,  and  requires  that  it  be 
honestly  set  apart  for  His  work  and  worship. 

Now,  what  belongs  to  God  certainly  cannot 
belong  to  another,  and  no  man  has  a  shadow 
of    right   to    appropriate    it,    or    any    portion 


PRIEST  OFFERING  SACRIFICE. 


thereof,  to  his  own  use.  In  paying  to  God 
one-tenth  of  the  all  He  has  given  me,  I  am 
not  giving^  but  paying  honest  debt ;  giving 
does  not  begin  until  the  last  fraction  of  the 
debt  is  paid.     Suppose  one  man  owes  another 


Pay  your  Debts.  239 

ten  dollars,  which  he  refuses  to  pa}^,  but  in- 
stead offers  him  a  few  cents  occasionally  as  a 
gift.  Will  he  not  refuse  to  recognize  or  re- 
ceive the  gift  until  the  debt  is  acknowledged 
and  paid  ?     He  most  certainly  will. 

It  may  be  said  that  such  a  rule  would  re- 
duce the  number  of  givers  to  a  very  small 
minority.  So  much  the  worse  for  the  so-called 
givers.  Is  it  not  God's  rule?  Does  He  not 
say  to  His  people,  ^'  Pay  me  the  tenth  of  all 
that  I  have  given  you,  and  then  bring  your 
free-will  offerings,  and  I  will  accept  them  and 
bless  you."  The  whole  tenor  of  the  Word,  in 
its  teachings  on  liberality,  may  be  summed  up 
in  that  one  sentence.  Not  a  few  excuse  them- 
selves and  shirk  the  paying  of  a  tithe  be- 
cause, as  they  say,  "  Tithing  was  a  purely 
Jewish  institution,  and  it  has  passed  away  with 
the  system  of  which  it  formed  a  part." 

This  is  only  true  in  part.  There  were  three 
tithes  required  of  the  Jews,  viz. : — 

I.  One  every  year  for  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary.  Num.  xviii.  21:  "And,  behold,  I 
have  given  the  children  of  Levi  all  the  tenth 


240  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

in  Israel  for  an  inheritance,  for  their  service 
which  they  serve ^  even  the  service  of  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation!'^ 

2.  Another  tithe  was  demanded  every  year 
for  religious  festivals.  Deut.  xiv.  22,  23 : 
*'  Thou  shalt  truly  tithe  all  the  increase  of  thy 
seed,  that  the  field  bringeth  forth  year  by 
year.  And  thou  shalt  eat  before  the  Lord  thy 
God  in  the  place  which  He  shall  choose  to 
place  His  name  there,  the  tithe  of  thy  corn,  of 
th}^  wine,  and  of  thine  oil, ''  etc.,  etc.  This 
second  tithe  was  to  be  eaten  by  the  people 
themselves,  "  •  •  •  that  thou  may  est  learn  to 
fear  thy  God  always." 

3.  Still  another  tithe  was  demanded,  once  in 
three  years,  for  the  poor.  Deut.  xiv.  28,  29 : 
"  At  the  end  of  three  years  thou  shalt  bring 
forth  all  the  tithe  of  thine  increase  the  same 
year,  and  shalt  lay  it  up  within  thy  gates  :  and 
the  Levite  (because  he  hath  no  part  nor  in- 
heritance with  thee) ,  and  the  stranger,  and  the 
fatherless,  and  the  widow,  which  are  within  thy 
gates,  shall  come,  and  shall  eat  and  be  satisfied." 

This  law  concerning  the  tithe   for  the  poor 


Pay  your  Debts.  241 

was  peculiar  to  the  Jewish  polity,  and  passed 
away  with  that  polity. 

The  second  tithe,  for  religious  feasts,  is  not 
now  required,  inasmuch  as  the  feasts  them- 
selves have  disappeared. 

But  the  first  tithe,  for  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary^  i.  e.,  for  the  work  and  worship  of 
God,  has  never  been  abolished ;  or,  if  it  has, 
the  scriptural  evidence  of  such  abolition  is 
wanting.  True,  the  sanctuary  as  then  served 
has  passed  away,  but  the  work  and  worship  of 
God  still  remain.  It  was  for  this  the  tithe  was 
required,  and  not  for  the  building  in  which 
the  service  was  rendered. 

Tithing  was  prior  to  Judaism,  i.  e.,  prior 
to  "  the  sanctuary,"  because  the  work  and 
worship  of  God  were  prior  to  it.  Why,  then, 
should  not  tithing  survive  Judaism,  seeing 
that  the  work  for  which  it  has  been  paid  still 
exists?  Until  the  "  service  of  the  sanctuary" 
in  every  form  shall  cease,  the  necessity  for  its 
tithe  exists.  Until  God  surrenders  His  claim 
upon  us  for  the  service  of  His  sanctuary,  the 
"tenth  IS  the  Lord's." 


2^2  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

This  is  God's  minimum  demand — God^s 
alphabet  of  self-denial  for  His  people.  He 
asks,  at  least,  one-tenth  of  the  all  which  He 
has  given  to  us,  for  Himself. 

Surely  every  child  of  God  ought  to  admit 
this  claim,  and  feel  bound  by  the  law  of  love 
to  pay  God  His  tenth  before  he  talks  about 
giving  to  God.  Bound,  not  by  a  legal  enact- 
ment, as  was  the  Jew,  but  by  the  law  of  love, 
as  were  the  patriarchs.  They  felt  the  moral 
obligation  to  do  this  before  any  law  was  pro- 
mulgated, and  cheerfully  did  it.  God  recog- 
nized the  propriety  and  equity  of  the  practice 
by  inserting  a  clause  in  His  law  requiring  it 
from  His  people.  It  was,  however,  a  law 
without  a  penalty,  being  left  to  the  prompt- 
ings of  piety  to  decide  as  to  its  payment. 
Hebrew  piety  cheerfully  paid  it,  and  shall 
Christian  piety  withhold  it  ?  Every  Christian 
knows  that  our  obligations  to  God  under  the 
Gospel  are  commensurate  with  our  increased 
privileges,  and  these  are  far  superior  to  those 
of  the  Hebrew  under  his  restricted  economy. 
May    it    not    be    justly    claimed,    then,    that 


Pay  your  Debts,  243 

Christian  honesty  demands  the  cheerful, 
prompt,  regular  and  systematic  payment  of 
at  least  one-tenth  into  God's  treasury,  because 
"  it  is  the  Lord's."  Others  object  to  this  prac- 
tice because  they  "  do  not  find  any  recognition 
of  it  in  the  New  Testament."  Can  they  show, 
by  clear  New  Testament  evidence,  that  it  has 
been  abolished  ?     We  think  not. 

Besides,  were  such  evidence  forthcoming, 
with  reference  to  positive  statute^  it  would  by 
no  means  prove  that  the  duty  is  no  longer 
binding.  Do  not  fathers  often  give  positive 
commands  to  their  children,  the  moral  reasons 
for  which  the  children  utterly  fail  to  compre- 
hend ?  Take,  for  instance,  the  law  of  the 
consecration  of  the  Sabbath.  Christian  fathers 
insist  upon  Sabbath  observance  in  their  fami- 
lies long  before  the  child  can  understand  the 
moral  reasons  for  such  a  law.  But  when  the 
child  has  grown  up,  and  is  no  longer  under 
the  positive  law  of  his  father,  he  feels  the 
duty  of  Sabbath  consecration  without  the  law, 
and  the  Sabbath  is  kept,  not  because  of  the 
father's  law,  now  no  longer  binding,  but  for 


244  ^^^  Path  to    Wealth, 

moral  reasons,  now  thoroughly  understood. 
May  not  the  same  have  been  the  case  with  re- 
gard to  the  law  of  tithing  ?  Positive  laws  given 
until  the  obligation  should  be  well  understood, 
and  then  God's  people  left  to  the  law  of  love. 

Again,  if  the  New  Testament  were  utterly 
silent  on  this  subject,  it  might  be  argued  that 
it  was  silent  because  the  principle  was  so 
thoroughly  understood,  in  New  Testament 
times,  and  the  practice  so  general  that  men- 
tion was  not  necessary.  Is  it  not  a  very  sig- 
nificant fact  that  New  Testament  writers 
make  no  mention  of  the  abolition  of  this  law, 
if  it  be  abolished  ?  How  easy  it  would  have 
been  for  them  to  mention  this,  in  connection 
with  other  matters  of  whose  "  fulfilment " 
(abolition)  they  did  write!  This  omission 
can  only  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition 
that  there  has  been  no  repeal  of  this  law. 

But  is  the  New  Testament  silent  on  the 
subject?  Decidedly  not.  Read  Matt,  xxiii. 
23  :  "  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
hypocrites !  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise 
and  cummin,  and  have  omitted  the  weightier 


Pay  yo7ir  Debts.  245 

matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and 
faith  :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done^  and  NOT  TO 
LEAVE  THE  OTHER  UNDONE."  The  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  these  words,  teaches  distinctly 
that  "  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law  "  should 
receive  our  first  attention ;  but  He  does  not 
hint,  even  remotely,  that  the  ''  tithe  of  mint 
and  anise  and  cummin  "  were  of  no  importance 
at  all,  but  rather  that  it  was  a  matter  not  to  be 
left  undone.  Had  He  come  to  abrogate  this 
law,  as  He  did  to  abolish  (by  fulfilment)  some 
other  things  in  the  law,  this  was  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  Him  to  give  us  an  intimation 
of  it.  No  such  intimation  is  given,  but, 
instead.  He  rather  enforces  its  authority,  and 
the  law  stands  unrepealed. 

It  seems  clear,  then,  that  the  obligation  to 
tithe  himself,  in  love  for  Christ,  rests  upon 
the  Christian.  The  duty  is  here  asserted,  in- 
cidentally it  is  true,  but  none  the  less  emphati- 
cally, by  the  very  highest  authority,  that  of 
our  beloved  Master  Himself. 

Again,  it  is  thought  that  the  Apostles  recog- 
nized the  principle  in  their  epistles.     In  I  Cor. 


246  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

xvi.  2,  Paul  says :  "  Upon  the  first  day  of  the 
week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store 
as  God  has  prospered  him,  that  there  be  no 
gatherings  when  I  come."  What  does  this 
phrase,  ''  as  God  has  prospered  him,"  teach  ? 
If  it  teaches  anything — has  any  force  at  all — 
it  teaches  that  a  definite  proportion  of  our 
income  should  be  regularly  and  systematically 
stored  for  God.  The  proportion  is  not  here 
mentioned,  because  it  was  well  understood. 
The  Corinthian  church,  established  by  Paul 
himself,  was  seven  years  old  at  the  time  of  this 
writing ;  and  surely  Paul  had  not  neglected  to 
instruct  them  in  the  precious  privilege  of 
Christian  liberality!  Nay,  rather,  but  his 
epistles  are  burdened  with  such  instruction! 
(See  chapters  viii.  and  ix.  of  II  Corinthians.) 
Next  to  the  great  subject  of  Justification  by 
Faith,  there  is  no  one  thing  upon  which  Paul 
has  so  much  to  say,  as  upon  liberality. 

Moses  taught,  "  Pay  a  tithe  of  all  to  God  for 
the  sendee  of  the  sanctuary."  Paul  teaches, 
''  Store  it  for  God  every  week."  Paul  and 
Moses  do  not  disagree ;  nor  does  Paul  attempt 


Pay  your  Debts.  247 

to  modify  or  improve  upon  Moses'  teaching ; 
he  merely  ventures  upon  an  enlargement  of 
the  precept.  Moses  says,  "  Pay  proportion- 
all}^;"  and  Paul  adds,  ''  Pay  regularly  and  sys- 
tematically." Moses'  teaching  was  well  un- 
derstood, and  Paul  needed  not  to  reiterate  it. 
He  only  found  it  necessary  to  enforce  a  regular 
and  systematic  observance  of  it. 

Paul's  suggestion  in  regard  to  the  weekly 
observance  of  the  rule  is  a  wise  one. 

A  person  may  be  utterly  unable  to  pay  $26 
a  year  in  a  lump,  as  his  tithe,  whereas  he  could, 
with  the  utmost  ease,  pay  50c.  a  week,  and 
store  it  for  God. 

We  have  seen  that  the  patriarchs  practised 
this  principle,  and  that  just  as  soon  as  God  had 
a  separate  people.  He  set  His  seal  upon  it  by 
incorporating  it  in  His  law  for  their  gover- 
nance. 

The  reasons  for  this  are  obvious.  The  sys- 
tem is  eminently  just  and  equitable. 

All  must  do  something  for  God  and  His  cause, 
and  God  places  the  minimum  in  His  law,  at 
not  less  than  a  tenth.     Rich  and  poor  alike  must 


248  The  Path  to   Wealth,^ 

begin  at  this ;  and  no  rich  man,  paying  his 
thousands,  could  upbraid  his  poor  neighbor, 
whose  payments  were  away  down  in  the  units. 
They  gave  in  the  same  ratio. 

Again,  this  system  makes  it  easy  for  all, 
especially  for  the  poor  man.  He  gives  in  small 
sums  regularly,  and  does  not  find  it  oppressive. 

Then,  the  larger  ability  of  the  rich  man  was 
not  shut  out.  All  must  pay  a  tenth^  to  begin 
with ;  but  any  man  may  give  as  much  more  as 
his  means  will  allow,  and  his  love  may  prompt. 

If  all  Christians  would  only  adopt  God's 
method — Bible  finance — they  would  be  amazed 
to  find  themselves  paying  into  God's  treasury 
many  times  their  present  meagre  payments  on 
the  hap-hazard,  give-as-you-please  method. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  person  who  has 
once  honestly  tithed  his  means  for  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  has  wearied  of  it,  and  gone  back 
again  to  the  no-system  way  of  contributing. 

Would  that  the  Church  generally  could  be 
induced  to  adopt  this  principle  and  follow  this 
practice  !  Beginning  with  a  tenth,  no  man 
need  stop  at  that.     As  his  means  increase,  he 


PETER  COOPER. 
He  commenced  life  in  the  City  of  New  York  in  1791,  and  died 
in  the  same  city  in  1883  By  his  own  efforts  he  made  an  immense 
fortune,  and  spent  a  laroje  part  of  it  in  public  and  private  chari- 
ties. He  is  the  founder  of  the  famous  "Cooper  Institute," 
which  cost  him  $650,000;  to  which  also  he  bequeathed  $150,000 
additional,  at  his  death. 

17  (249) 


250  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

can,  after  paying  God  the  tenth  He  claims  as 
His  own,  begin  to  know  something  of  the 
luxury  of  giving. 

No  man  is  so  poor  that  he  cannot  afford  to 
do  this.  Every  man  can  afford  to  be  honest 
with  God ! 

Will  God  permit  any  man  to  suffer  in  doing 
what  He  requires  to  be  done?  Read  Dent, 
xiv.  28,  29,  and  note  especially  the  last  clause, 
"  .  .  .  that  the  Lord  thy  God  may  bless  thee 
in  all  the  work  of  thine  hand,  which  thou 
doest."  A  still  stronger  statement  is  made  in 
Prov.  iii.  9,  10 :  "  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy 
substance,  and  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  thy 
increase,  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled  with 
plenty,  and  thy  presses  burst  out  with  new 
wine." 

To  the  obedient  a  very  precious  promise  is 
given  in  Mai.  iii.  10,  11  :  ^' Bring  ye  all  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse,  that  there  may  be 
meat  in  my  house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith, 
saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  I  will  not  open 
you  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out 
a  blessing  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough 


Pay  your  Debts.  251 

to  receive  it.  And  I  will  rebuke  the  devourer 
for  your  sakes,  and  he  shall  not  destroy  the 
fruit  of  your  ground,  neither  shall  your  vine 
cast  her  fruit  before  the  time  in  the  field,  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts."  Oh,  that  professed  be- 
lievers would  take  the  Lord  at  His  word,  honor 
Him  with  their  substance,  and  trust  Him. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Christians  cannot  afford 
to  pay  less  than  a  tenth,  for  they  will  invari- 
ably find  that  the  remaining  nine-tenths  with 
God's  blessing  would  be  of  far  greater  value  to 
them  than  the  ten-tenths  without  it.  If  God's 
children  would  pay  up  as  God  requires,  and 
then  begin  to  give,  as  God  has  prospered  them, 
they  would  realize  the  preciousness  of  that  say- 
ing of  Jesus,  which  Paul  has  rescued  from 
oblivion,  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  it  is 
to  receive."  They  would  soon  learn  to  give, 
not  as  a  mere  matter  of  duty,  but  because  they 
love  to  give.  God  is  always  giving.  God  loves 
to  give — always  gives  His  best  gifts  ;  and  those 
who  give,  and  give  their  best  gifts,  because 
they  love  to  give,  are,  so  far,  like  God.  Where 
THERE  IS  LITTLE  LOVE  FOR  GIVING,  THERE  IS 
VERY  LITTLE  LIKENESS  TO  GOD. 


§ible  iiiuiiig: 

ITS  NATURE  AND  RULE. 

BY 

REV.   F.   R.   BEATTIE,   D.D.,   Ph.D. 


(253) 


BIBLE  GIVING: 

ITS   NATURE   AND   RULE. 


In  this  paper  I  wish  to  say  a  few  things 
about  giving  to  religious  and  benevolent  ob- 
jects. What  I  have  to  say  will  be  drawn 
largely  from  my  own  observation,  reflection 
and  experience,  which,  though  by  no  means 
varied  or  remarkable,  may  yet  enable  me  to 
say  something  useful  on  the  subject.  I  shall 
also  try  to  express  my  ideas  in  as  plain  and 
practical  a  manner  as  possible. 

I  may  say  that  I  have,  of  late,  read  a  good 
deal  on  this  important  topic ;  I  have  recently 
looked  more  carefully  than  ever  before  into 
what  the  Bible  says  about  giving  to  the  sup- 
port of  religion ;  I  have  tried  to  preach 
several  times  during  the  past  year  on  differ- 
ent aspects  of  this  subject ;  and  I  have  looked 
into  the  actual  practice  of  the  average  Chris- 
tian in  regard  to  his  giving  to  the  cause  of 

(255) 


256  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

Christ.  The  result  has  been  that  I  am  more 
deeply  impressed  than  ever  with  the  impor- 
tance of  this  subject,  and  at  the  same  time  I 
have  been  humbled  beyond  measure  to  find 
that  the  average  Christian  is  sometimes  con- 
tent to  spend  more  on  a  single  luxury  than  he 
gives  to  the  support  of  religion. 

I  have  observed  that  the  matter  of  Chris- 
tian liberality  is  pressed  upon  us  not  only  by 
the  claims  of  the  institutions  of  religion  at 
home,  but  also  in  connection  with  the  duty  of 
the  Christian  Church  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
the  heathen.  The  people  in  pagan  lands  are 
not,  as  a  rule,  at  first  anxious  to  have  the 
Gospel  preached  among  them.  This  entails 
expense  in  sending  missionaries,  and  this  ex- 
pense must  be  met  by  those  in  Christian 
lands  who  send  the  missionaries.  The  energy 
with  which  mission  work  is  pushed  on  is  one 
of  the  hopeful  signs  of  this  age,  for  I  have 
observed  that  when  Christian  people  are  most 
deeply  concerned  about  others,  they  are  most 
likely  to  be  prospered  themselves.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  Bible  is  profoundly  true  when 


Bible  Giving,  257 

it  says  that  "  the  liberal  soul  shall  be  made 
fat." 

This  being  the  case,  it  has  occurred  to  me 
that  no  more  important  matter,  of  a  practical 
kind,  can  be  brought  before  the  minds  of 
Christian  people  than  that  of  Christian  liber- 
ality. I  confess  that  I  have  got  over  a  kind 
of  delicacy  which  I  once  had  in  speaking 
about  money  in  connection  with  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel,  and  the  exposition  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. I  am  convinced  that  our  giving  to  the 
Lord's  cause  is  a  distinctly  religious  act,  and 
our  duty  in  regard  to  that  act  ought  to  be 
clearly  understood.  Christian  people  should 
never  forget  that  they  are  not  absolute  pos- 
sessors of  the  money  or  other  things  which 
they  call  theirs.  They  are  only  stewards  of 
the  manifold  gifts  of  God ;  and,  for  my  part, 
I  am  exceedingly  anxious  to  learn  how  I  can 
best  attend  to  the  duties  of  my  stewardship. 

Ever  since  I  was  a  lad,  I  have  been  familiar 
with  several  curious  methods  by  means  of 
which  money  is  raised  for  religious  purposes. 
I  can  remember  my  first  tea-meeting,  and  how 


258 


The  Path  to    Wealth, 


I  thought  what  a  strange  thing  it  was  to  eat 
and  drink  in  God's  house.  I  have  been  at 
scores  of  such  meetings  since  my  childhood, 
and  I  have  seen  almost  every  kind  of  device 
brought   into    play,    from    the   bazaar   to   the 


OLD-FASHIONED  TEA  DRINKING. 

cake  or  cane  competition,  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  money  for  Church  objects.  Since  I 
have  grown  older  I  have  looked  with  some 
care  at  these  things,  and  have  become  more 
and  more  convinced  that  for  the  purpose  of 


Bible  Giving.  259 

raising  money  for  religious  objects  tHey 
are  all  wrong  in  principle  and  injurious  in 
practice. 

It  Has,  indeed,  occurred  to  me  that  a  general 
reform  is  needed  in  this  important  matter.  I 
trust  that  paper  may  be  helpful  in  doing 
something  in  this  direction.  I  shall  group 
my  remarks  on  this  subject  under  two  main 
heads.  Under  the  first  I  shall  treat  of  the 
essential  nature  of  Christian  giving;  and 
under  the  second  I  shall  seek  to  discover  the 
rule  by  which  that  giving  should  be  deter- 
mined. Hence  we  must,  in  the  first  place, 
seek  to  get  a  clear  and  definite  idea  of  what 
Christian  liberality  involves ;  then,  in  the 
second  place,  we  must  try  to  find  a  well- 
defined  standard  by  means  of  which  we  may 
be  able  to  know  when  we  do  our  duty  in  re- 
gard to  this  important  matter.  Each  of  these 
topics  will  be  considered  in  a  separate  chap- 
ter, and  in  as  simple  and  conversational  a 
mariner  as  possible,  so  that  ordinary  readers 
may  be  the  more  fully  informed  by  what  is  set 
forth. 


.<^:^^^ 


MATTHEW  VASSAR. 

The  founder  of  Vassar  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  at  a 
cost  of  $400,000.  Mr.  Vassar  was  born  in  England,  but  was 
taken  to  America  when  four  years  old.  He  began  business  as  an 
errand  boy,  and  ended  a  very  wealthy  man  An  active  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  rich  in  good  works. 
(260) 


CHAPTER  I. 
Bible  Giving:  Its  Nature. 

In  seeking  to  understand  the  nature  of 
Christian  Hberality,  I  wish  to  take  the  reader 
to  the  Bible  at  once  for  instruction  thereon, 
for  I  am  sure  that  every  Christian  will  agree 
that  the  Bible  is  the  best  place  to  get  teach- 
ing on  this  topic.  In  this,  as  in  all  other 
vital  matters,  we  should  be  guided,  not  by  ex- 
pediency or  mere  human  opinion,  but  by  what 
God  himself  says  in  His  Word.  I  shall, 
therefore,  seek  to  find  out  from  the  Scriptures 
what  they  teach  in  regard  to  the  real  nature 
of  our  giving  to  religious  objects. 

I  desire  to  get  a  good  foundation  laid  for 
my  practice,  so  that  I  shall  not  blunder  in  the 
exercise  of  the  grace  of  Christian  liberality. 
I  shall  only  be  satisfied,  when  I  have  laid  the 
foundation,  not  on  the  shifting  sands  of  mere 
human  reasoning,  but  on  the  solid  rock  of  the 
Word  of  God.     Having  secured  a  good  foun- 

(26l) 


262  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

dation  in  this  way,  I  vshall  then  proceed  to 
erect  a  suitable  and  durable  building  thereon. 
In  other  words,  having  laid  down  the  Scrip- 
tural basis  or  principle  of  our  giving  to  God's 
cause,  I  shall  proceed  to  make  some  applica- 
tions of  this  principle  to  several  concrete  cases 
to  be  found  in  actual  practice. 

SECTION    I. 
The  Bible  Foundation, 

I  ask  you  now  to  open  the  Bible,  and  trace 
out  with  me,  in  a  very  general  way,  what  it 
says  about  giving  to  the  Lord.  Let  me  ask 
you  to  turn  to  the  beginning  of  the  Book,  for 
it  will  be  of  great  moment  to  find  something 
about  gifts  and  offerings  all  through  its  dif- 
ferent parts. 

Turning  to  the  fourth  chapter  of  Genesis, 
I  find  the  first  brothers  of  the  human  race 
bringing  offerings  to  God.  "  And  in  process 
of  time  it  came  to  pass,  that  Cain  brought  of 
the  fruit  of  the  ground  an  offering  unto  the 
Lord.     And  Abel,  he  also  brought  of  the  first- 


Bible  Giving.  263 

lings  of  his  flock,  and  of  the  fat  thereof" 
There  is  no  need  to  decide,  so  far  as  our  pres- 
ent purpose  is  concerned,  why  Abel's  gift  was 
accepted  and  Cain's  rejected,  for  what  we  re- 
quire is  only  to  observe  that  these  two  men, 
of  their  own  choice  and  under  a  sense  of  duty 
or  obligation  to  God,  brought  their  respective 
offerings  to  Him.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Abel's 
spirit  was  better  than  Cain's,  but  both  alike 
brought  an  offering. 

In  regard  to  Noah,  in  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Genesis,  we  read,  that  after  the  waters  of  the 
flood  were  dried  up,  "  Noah  builded  an  altar 
unto  the  Lord  ;  and  took  of  every  clean  beast, 
and  of  every  clean  fowl,  and  offered  burnt- 
offerings  on  the  altar."  In  the  life  of  Abra- 
ham, amongst  the  offerings  which,  from  time 
to  time,  he  made,  we  read  that  he  was  required 
on  one  occasion  to  make  a  remarkable  offering. 
In  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  Genesis,  we 
find  God  speaking  to  Abraham  in  the  follow- 
ing way :  "  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son 
Isaac,  whom  thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the 
land  of  Moriali ;   and  offer  him   there    for    a 


264  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

burnt-offering  upon  one  of  the  mountains 
which  I  will  tell  thee  of."  Here  God  required 
a  very  peculiar  and  precious  offering  from 
Abraham ;  and  even  though  a  substitute  for 
his  son  was  found  in  the  ram  caught  in  the 
thicket,  the  idea  of  an  offering  to  God  re- 
mains. This  is  what  we  carry  with  us  from 
this  event. 

Now,  as  you  read  through  the  rest  of  Gen- 
esis with  me,  you  will  find  that  the  patriarchs, 
from  time  to  time  and  in  various  ways,  made, 
either  by  God's  command  or  by  an  inward 
spiritual  impulse,  offerings  to  the  Lord.  They 
all  illustrate  the  same  thought  of  giving  some- 
thing which  we  call  ours  to  the  service  of  God. 

When  we  come  to  the  age  of  Moses,  and 
read  on  through  Leviticus  and  Deuteronomy 
in  particular,  we  find  ourselves  among  almost 
endless  offerings  and  givings  required  of  the 
Jews  in  connection  with  their  religious  duty 
and  service.  I  would  like  to  help  you  to 
study  this  vast  system  of  offerings,  for  the 
purpose  of  discovering,  as  far  as  possible,  what 
is  the  real  nature  of  an  offering  which  is  ac- 


Bible  Giving,  265 

ceptable  to  God,  and  what  should  be  the  spirit 
of  the  person  making  the  offering,  so  that  it 
may  be  pleasing  in  His  sight.  I  cannot  go 
into  minute  details,  yet  I  trust  that  some  gen- 
eral outlines  may  help  us  to  a  proper  knowl- 
edge of  Bible  teaching  on  the  subject  of  giving 
for  religious  purposes. 

As  we  read  carefully  through  the  writings 
of  Moses,  we  find  that  all  the  offerings  he 
speaks  of  may  be  divided  into  three  general 
classes.  In  the  first  place,  I  find  those  offer- 
ings which  were  set  apart  for  the  permanent 
service  of  God  and  of  the  sanctuary.  In  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Numbers  we  find  these 
offerings  described  in  connection  with  the  set- 
ting up  of  the  Tabernacle  service.  ''  And  they 
brought  their  offering  before  the  Lord,  six 
covered  wagons,  and  twelve  oxen ;  a  wagon 
for  two  of  the  princes,  and  for  each  one  an  ox ; 
and  they  brought  them  before  the  Tabernacle. 
And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Take 
it  of  them,  that  they  may  be  to  do  the  service 
of  the  Tabernacle  of  the    congregation ;   and 

thou  shalt  give  them  unto  the  Levites,  to  every 
18 


266  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

man  according  to  his  service."  In  the  thirty- 
first  chapter  of  Numbers,  50th  to  5 2d  verses, 
we  find  allusion  to  other  offerings  of  a  some- 
what different  kind,  but  for  the  same  purpose. 
"  We  have  therefore  brought  an  oblation  for 
the  Lord,  what  every  man  hath  gotten,  of 
jewels  of  gold,  chains  and  bracelets,  rings,  ear- 
rings and  tablets,  to  make  an  atonement  for 
our  souls  before  the  Lord.  And  Moses  and 
Eleazar  the  priest  took  the  gold  of  them,  even 
all  wrought  jewels.  And  all  the  gold  of  the 
offering  that  they  offered  up  to  the  Lord,  of  the 
captains  of  thousands,  and  of  the  captains  of 
hundreds,  was  sixteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  shekels." 

In  the  class  of  offerings  represented  by  such 
cases  as  those  just  referred  to,  we  have  the 
contributions  which  provided  for  the  construc- 
tion and  furnishing  of  the  sanctuary  and  the 
maintenance  of  religious  services  therein,  as 
well  as  provision  for  the  support  of  the  per- 
sons whose  duty  it  was  to  attend  to  those  ser- 
vices. In  this  class,  also,  we  have  the  type  of 
the  provision  to  be  made  in  all  ages  for  the 


Bible   Giving.  267 

support  of  religious  ordinances  among  men. 
This  is  an  abiding  call  for  oiferings  to  be  made 
to  God,  for  the  duty  of  worship  is  a  permanent 
one. 

In  the  second  place,  we  find  a  large  class  of 
offerings  which  were  brought  to  God  as  a  kind 
of  state  tax  in  support  of  the  priests  and  Le- 
vites.  The  Jewish  nation  was  a  theocracy. 
Jehovah  was  their  king,  and  they  held  their 
land  in  fee  from  Him.  Hence  certain  offer- 
ings were  required,  as  a  species  of  tax  or  rent 
from  the  land.  These  offerings  were  of  various 
kinds,  and  are  frequently  spoken  of  in  the  writ- 
ings of  Moses. 

In  Exodus,  the  thirteenth  chapter,  we  read : 
"And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 
Sanctify  unto  me  all  the  first-born,  whatsoever 
openeth  the  womb  among  the  children  of  Israel, 
both  of  man  and  beast ;  it  is  mine."  Hence, 
as  the  first-born  of  every  Jewish  family,  and  of 
their  flocks  and  herds,  were  spared  in  Egypt, 
so  ever  after  God  claimed  these  as  His. 

Again,  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Num- 
bers, we  read :  ''  All  the  best  of  the  oil,  and  all 


268  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

the  best  of  the  wine,  and  of  the  wheat,  the  first- 
fruits  of  them  which  they  shall  offer  unto  the 
Lord,  them  have  I  given  thee.  And  whatso- 
ever is  first  ripe  in  the  land,  which  they  shall 
bring  unto  the  Lord,  shall  be  thine."  Here 
we  have  offerings  from  the  produce  of  the  land 
dedicated  to  God.  In  the  eighteenth  chapter 
of  Deuteronomy  we  have  a  similar  passage: 
^'  The  first-fruits  of  thy  corn,  of  thy  wine,  and 
of  thine  oil,  and  the  first  of  the  fleece  of  thy 
sheep,  shalt  thou  give  him  (the  priest).  For 
the  Lord  thy  God  hath  chosen  him  to  minister 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  him  and  his  sons  for- 
ever." This  passage  indicates  the  special  way 
in  which  the  priests  were  to  be  supported.  It 
is  very  interesting  to  notice  that  the  laws  re- 
garding these  offerings  were  renewed  after  the 
captivity.  Thus,  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Ne- 
hemiah,  we  read :  ''  And  to  bring  the  first-fruits 
of  our  ground ;  and  the  first-fruits  of  all  the 
fruit  of  all  trees  year  by  year  unto  the  house 
of  the  Lord :  Also  the  first-born  of  our  sons, 
and  of  our  cattle,  as  it  is  written  in  the  Law, 
and   the   firstlings   of  our  herds    and  of  our 


Bible  Giving,  269 

flocks,  to  bring  to  the  house  of  our  God,  unto 
the  priests  that  minister  in  the  house  of  our 

God." 

In  the  eighteenth  of  Numbers  we  find  an- 
other curious  fact  in  connection  with  the  giv- 
ing of  what  the  people  possessed  to  the  service 
of  the   Lord:    "And  the  firstlings  of  unclean 
beasts  shalt  thou  redeem.     And  those  that  are 
to  be  redeemed,  from  a  month  old  shalt  thou 
redeem,   according  to  thy  estimation,  for  the 
money  of  five  shekels,  after  the  shekel  of  the 
sanctuary,  which  is  twenty  gerahs.     But  the 
firstling  of  a  cow,  or  the  firstling  of  a  goat, 
thou  shalt  not  redeem;  they  are  holy;  thou 
shalt   sprinkle   their   blood   upon   the  altar." 
This  passage  emphasizes   the   distinction  be- 
tween things  clean  and  unclean.     Yet  at  the 
same  time  God  makes  a  claim  upon  both — 
upon  the  clean  directly,  and  upon  the  unclean 
by  redemption. 

In  the  third  general  class  of  offerings  are 
includes  all  those  which  were  laid  upon  the 
altar,  and  consumed  there,  wholly  or  in  part, 
by  fire.     These  were  usually  regarded  as  offer- 


270  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

ings  of  a  higher  and  more  sacred  order  than 
those  already  mentioned.  To  enter  into  detail 
here  would  lead  us  to  discuss  the  whole  s^^stem 
of  Jewish  sacrifice,  but  it  is  not  necessary  for 
our  present  purpose  that  we  should  do  so.  In 
the  first  chapter  of  Leviticus  we  find  the  key- 
note to  the  peculiarity  of  these  offerings : 
*' And  the  priest  shall  burn  all  on  the  altar,  to 
be  a  burnt-sacrifice,  an  offering  made  by  fire, 
of  a  sweet  savour  unto  the  Lord.''''  Again, 
*^  It  is  a  burnt-sacrifice,  an  offering  made  by 
fire,  of  a  sweet  savour  unto  the  Lord^  The 
two  things  which  mark  this  class  of  offerings 
are,  first,  that  they  were  to  be  burned  on  the 
altar ;  and,  secondly,  that  they  formed  a  sweet 
savour  unto  Jehovah.  They  were  to  be  offered 
to  Jehovah  personally,  in  the  place  where  He 
promised  to  meet  with  his  people  to  bless  them. 
If  we  look  carefully  at  these  various  offer- 
ings, and  seek  to  discover  the  spirit  which 
should  prompt  men  to  make  them,  we  shall 
find  several  important  principles  involved.  If 
we  can  seize  these  and  apply  them  a  great  deal 
will  be  gained. 


Bible   Giving.  271 

In  the  first  place,  you  will  observe  that  in 
every  case  the  offermg  made  must  be  the  pr^op- 
erty  of  the  person  snaking  it.  Many  passages 
of  Scripture  confirm  this  statement.  In  the 
last  chapter  of  II  Samuel  we  read :  "  And 
Araunah  said  unto  David,  Let  my  lord  the 
king  take  and  offer  what  seemeth  good  unto 
him ;  behold  here  is  oxen  for  burnt-sacrifice, 
and  threshing  instruments  and  other  instru- 
ments of  the  oxen  for  wood.  All  these  things 
did  Araunah,  as  a  king,  give  unto  the  king. 
And  Araunah  said  unto  the  king.  The  Lord 
thy  God  accept  thee.  And  the  king  said  unto 
Araunah,  Nay ;  but  I  will  surely  bu}^  it  of 
thee  at  a  price  :  neither  will  I  offer  burnt-offer- 
ings unto  the  Lord  my  God  of  that  which 
doth  cost  me  nothing.  So  David  bought  the 
threshing-floor  and  the  oxen  for  fifty  shekels 
of  silver." 

This  statement  is  further  confirmed  by  what 
we  find  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  doing  in  their 
days.  In  the  seventh  chapter  of  Ezra  we  read, 
in  connection  with  the  return  from  the  Cap- 
tivity :  "And  all  the  silver  and  gold  that  thou 


272 


The  Path  to    Wealth. 


canst  find  in  all  the  province  of  Babylon,  with 
the  freewill  offering  of  the  people,  and  of  the 
priests,  offering  willingly  for  the  house  of  their 
God,  which  is  in  Jerusalem  :  that  thou  mayest 
buy  speedily  with  this  money,  bullocks,  rams, 
lambs,  with  'their  meat-offerings  and  their 
drink-offerings,  and  offer  them  upon  the  altar 
of  the  house  of  your  God  which  is  in  Jeru- 
salem." Nehemiah's  words,  in  the  tenth  chap- 
ter of  his  book,  are  equally  significant :  "  Also 
we  made  ordinances  for  us,  to  charge  ourselves 
yearly  with  the  third  part  of  a  shekel  for  the 
service  of  the  house  of  our  God ;  for  the  shew- 
bread,  and  for  the  continual  meat-offering,  and 
for  the  continual  burnt-offering,  of  the  Sab- 
baths, of  the  new  moons,  for  the  set  feasts,  and 
for  the  holy  things,  and  for  the  sin-offerings 
to  make  an  atonement  for  Israel,  and  for  all 
the  work  of  the  house  of  our  God." 

These  quotations  of  God's  Word,  which  we 
have  made  at  length,  bring  out  the  important 
fact  that  everything  brought  to  God  as  an 
offering  must  be  our  own  property,  or  ac- 
cj^uired   by   u§    in   a   proper  and  honest  way. 


Bible  Giving.  273 

The  Jews  were  distinctly  taught  this,  and  in 
our  own  day  we  need  to  observe  that  not  only 
must  we  be  able  to  call  what  we  give  to  God 
our  own,  but  we  must  be  sure  also  that  we 
have  come  into  possession  of  it  in  a  perfectly 
honest  way.  God  will  not  honor  the  ways  of 
injustice,  nor  will  He  accept  the  fruits  of  dis- 
honesty. We  shall  keep  this  in  mind,  for  we 
may  have  occasion  to  refer  to  it  again  in  the 
course  of  this  paper. 

In  the  second  place,  you  will  observe  that 
these  offerings  were  all  dedicated  to  God. 
They  were  holy  gifts,  and,  as  such,  were  set 
apart  for  God  and  appropriated  to  His  service. 
It  mattered  not  if  parts  of  some  of  the  offerings 
went  to  support  the  priests  while  attending  to 
their  duties,  they  were  nevertheless  all  re- 
garded as  given  to  God.  They  were  made  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  God's  greatness  and 
goodness,  and  of  the  desire  of  the  people  to 
enjoy  the  favor  and  fellowship  of  God.  In 
this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  read  the 
thirty-eighth  verse  of  the  twenty-eighth  chapter 
of  Exodus.     Of  the  plate  of  pure  gold,  which 


274  ^^^^  Path  to   Wealth. 

was  to  be  put  on  the  mitre  of  the  high  priest, 
it  is  said:  ^^  And  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  fore- 
head, that  Aaron  may  bear  the  iniquity  of  the 
holy  things,  which  the  children  of  Israel  shall 
hallow  in  all  their  holy  gifts  ;  and  it  shall  be 
always  upon  his  forehead,  that  they  may  be 
accepted  before  the  Lord."  Here  it  is  evident 
that  the  gifts,  and  the  people  with  their  offer- 
ings, were  to  be  dedicated  to  God,  before  the 
right  to  claim  acceptance  and  favor  at  God's 
hand  was  the  portion  of  the  people.  The  peo- 
ple were  not  to  give  that  they  might  get  similar 
gifts  in  return ;  they  were  to  give  that  they 
might  render  a  service  or  make  an  offering 
freely  and  fully  unto  the  Lord. 

It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  these  offerings  had 
value,  not  so  much  in  themselves  as  in  the 
spirit  and  feelings  cherished  by  the  person 
making  the  offering.  The  gift  indeed  may  be 
of  great  value. or  of  little  worth  in  itself,  yet  its 
value  in  God's  sight  will  depend  on  the  spirit 
which  moved  the  offerer  in  presenting  his  gift. 
It  is  not  the  gift,  but  the  giver  in  his  gift, 
which  has  meaning  before  God.     It  is  the  d^- 


Bible   Giving,  275 

vout  spiritual  feelings  which  the  gift  expresses 
that  make  the  real  offering  which  God  regards 
and  delights  in.  For  their  own  sake  or  value 
God  can  care  but  little  for  mere  material  gifts, 
but  the  devotion  of  an  earnest,  humble,  grate- 
ful heart  is  ever  a  sacrifice  pleasing  in  His 
sight. 

There  is  a  passage  in  Kurtz's  ''  Sacrificial 
Worship,"  page  55,  which  expresses  the  truth 
here  so  well  that  I  cannot  forbear  quoting  it 
at  length,  as  better  than  any  words  of  mine 
could  be  here :  "In  these  gifts,  which  were 
justly  his  acquired  property,  gained  by  the 
sweat  of  his  face  and  the  exercise  of  his  earthly 
calling,  he  offered,  in  a  certain  sense,  an  ob- 
jective portion  of  himself,  since  the  sweat 
of  his  own  labor  adhered  to  it,  and  he  had  ex- 
pended his  own  vital  energy  upon  it,  and 
thereby,  as  it  were,  really  gave  it  life.  In  this 
way  he  gave  expression  to  his  consciousness 
of  the  absolute  dependence  of  his  whole  life 
and  activity  upon  the  grace  and  blessing  of 
God,  and  to  his  obligation  to  devote  it  entirely 
to  God  and  to  divine  purposes  in  praise,  thanks- 


276  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

giving  and  prayer.  He  gave  partially  back  to 
God  what  he  received  entirely  from  God,  and  had 
wrought  out  and  acquired  through  the  bless- 
ing of  God.  And  in  the  part  he  sanctified  and 
consecrated  the  whole,  or  all  that  he  retained 
and  applied  to  the  maintenance  of  his  own  life 
and  strength,  and  with  this  his  own  life  also, 
to  the  maintenance  of  which  he  had  devoted 
if' 

In  the  third  place,  the  offermgs  were  to  be 
of  the  first-fruits  of  the  possessions  of  the 
offerer.  The  first  produce  of  field  and  flock 
was  held  sacred,  and  this,  not  the  last  or  poor- 
est, was  to  be  dedicated  to  the  Lord.  The 
first-born,  both  of  man  and  beast,  were  claimed 
by  God,  and  these  had  either  to  be  redeemed, 
that  their  price  might  be  set  apart  for  religious 
purposes,  or  they  had  actually  to  be  given  to 
the  Lord  and  His  service. 

There  are  so  many  passages  of  Scripture 
which  bring  this  out,  that  we  need  only  quote 
a  few,  as  samples  of  the  strong  Bible  basis 
there  is  for  giving  the  first  and  the  best  of  our 
possessions  to  God's  service,     In  the  twenty- 


Bible  Giving. 


277 


second  chapter  of  Exodus  we  read :  ^'  Thou 
shalt  not  delay  to  offer  the  first  of  thy  ripe 
fruits,  and  of  thy  liquors ;  the  first-born  of  thy 
sons  shalt  thou  give  unto  me.  Likewise  shalt 
thou  do  with  thy  oxen,  and  with  thy  sheep." 


HEBREW   BRINGING   FIRST-FRUITS. 


In  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Exodus  we  read: 
''  The  first  of  the  first-fruits  of  thy  land  thou 
shalt  bring  into  the  house  of  the  Lord  thy  God." 
In  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Leviticus  we 
read :  ^'And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  say- 


278  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

ing,  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  say 
unto  them,  When  ye  be  come  into  the  land 
which  I  give  unto  you,  and  shall  reap  the  har- 
vest thereof,  then  ye  shall  bring  a  sheaf  of  the 
first-fruits  of  your  harvest  unto  the  priest." 
Similar  passages  might  be  quoted  in  great 
numbers  from  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy. 

In  later  times  we  find  the  principle  of  the 
first-fruits  enjoined.  In  the  days  of  Solomon 
we  find  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  the  following: 
"  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with 
the  first-fruits  of  thine  increase."  In  the  tenth 
chapter  of  Nehemiah,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
exile,  we  read :  "And  to  bring  the  first-fruits 
of  our  ground,  and  the  first-fruits  of  all  fruit 
of  all  trees  year  by  year  unto  the  house  of  the 
Lord;  also  the  first-born  of  our  sons  and  of 
our  cattle,  .  .  .  and  the  firstlings  of  our  herds 
and  of  our  flocks,  to  bring  to  the  house  of  our 
God." 

From  these  and  scores  of  similar  passages, 
we  learn  the  very  important  truth  that  the 
first-born  of  man  and  beast,  the  first-fruits  of 
forest  and  field,  were  claimed  by  God,  and  that 


Bible  Giving,  279 

neglect  to  render  to  Him  His  dues  was  really 
sinful.  Not  only  were  the  first-fruits  to  be 
rendered  in  a  collective  way  by  the  congrega- 
tion as  a  whole,  but  they  were  to  be  rendered 
by  each  of  the  families  of  the  people  out  of  the 
yearly  produce  which  God  might  give  them. 
No  fixed  quantity  was  required  as  the  proper 
discharge  of  the  duty.  Each  person  was  left 
to  the  promptings  of  his  own  religious  feelings 
in  this  respect,  as  no  doubt  God  regarded  the 
spirit  in  which  the  first-fruits  were  brought  as 
of  more  value  than  the  amount  of  the  gifts  in 
themselves.  In  the  Talmud  there  are  many 
curious  rules  given  regarding  the  presentation 
of  the  first-fruits.  It  states  that  the  sixtieth 
was  the  least  part  that  could  be  given  ;  while  a 
fortieth  or  a  thirtieth  was  to  be  regarded  as  the 
proof  of  a  willing  mind.  In  later  times  the 
first-fruits  were  often  turned  into  money  by  the 
more  distant  Jews,  and  the  money  sent  in  in- 
stead of  the  first-fruits  themselves. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection 
that  the  offerings  of  first-fruits  was  by  no  means 
peculiar  to  the  Jews.     It  prevailed  in  many  of 


28o  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

the  leading  pagan  nations  of  ancient  times. 
Spencer  presents  many  interesting  facts  in 
regard  to  this  practice  among  other  nations 
than  the  Jews.  His  quotations  from  ancient 
writers  go  to  show  that  there  seems  to  have 
been  at  the  basis  of  this  practice,  a  conviction 
that  the  portions  of  the  fruits  which  were  first 
ripe  were  the  best,  and  that  these  belonged 
specially  to  the  gods,  as  a  token  of  gratitude, 
and  as  a  ground  of  security  for  future  years. 
It  was  man's  nature  gift  to  nature's  God. 
From  these  facts  in  and  out  of  the  Bible,  it  is 
evident  that  the  feeling  which  prompted  the 
giving  of  the  first  and  best  of  all  kinds  of  pro- 
duce was  a  deeply  rooted  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  men. 

The  Talmud  gives  extended  directions  in 
regard  to  the  way  in  which  the  first-fruits 
should  be  presented.  When  the  offerer  came 
near  to  the  sanctuary,  we  have  the  following 
description  :  "  When  they  were  come  thither, 
they  took  every  man  his  basket  on  his  shoulder, 
and  said,  '  Hallelujah,  praise  God  in  His  sanc- 
tuary ! '  and  they  went  thus  and  sang  till  they 


Bible   Giving.  281 

came  to  the  court-yard.  When  they  were 
come  thither,  the  Levites  sang,  '  I  will  exalt 
thee,  O  Lord,  for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up.'  The 
owner  of  the  basket,  while  it  was  still  upon  his 
shoulder,  made  the  declaration,  '  I  profess  this 
day  unto  Jehovah,  thy  God,  that  I  am  come 
into  the  land  which  Jehovah  sware  unto  our 
fathers  to  give  it  unto  us.'  Then  he  let  down 
the  basket  from  his  shoulder,  and  the  priest 
put  his  hand  under  it,  and  waved  it,  and  he 
said,  'A  Syrian  ready  to  perish  was  my  father.' 
And  he  left  it  at  the  altar's  side,  at  the  south- 
west horn,  on  the  south  side  of  the  horn,  and 
bowed  himself  down,  and  went  out."  Accord- 
ing to  this  account  the  presentation  of  the  first- 
fruits  was  a  distinctly  religious  act. 

The  fourth  principle  involved  in  these 
various  offerings  is,  that  they  were  presented 
as  voluntary  or  freewill  gifts.  We  have  here 
to  note  that  certain  offerings  were  called 
"  freewill  offerings,"  and  were  in  some  respects 
peculiar  in  their  nature.  In  the  twelfth  chap- 
ter of  Deuteronomy  we  read :  ''And  thither 
ye     shall     bring     your     burnt-offerings,    and 


282  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

your  sacrifices,  and  your  tithes,  and  your 
heave-offerings  of  your  hand,  and  your  vows, 
and  your  freewill  offerings^  and  the  firstlings 
of  your  herds  and  of  your  flocks."  In  the 
twenty-second  chapter  of  Leviticus  we  read : 
^'And  whosoever  offereth  a  sacrifice  of  peace- 
offerings  unto  the  Lord  to  accomplish  his  vow, 
or  a  freewill  offering  in  beeves  or  sheep,  it 
shall  be  perfect  to  be  accepted ;  there  shall  be 
no  blemish  therein."  In  these  and  like 
passages  we  have  a  special  kind  of  offerings 
alluded  to,  and  directions  given  concerning 
them. 

It  is  not  so  much  to  these  passages,  or  to 
the  particular  offerings  called  freewill  offer- 
ings, that  our  attention  is  turned  by  the  vol- 
untary or  freewill  principle.  This  principle 
applies  alike  to  all  kinds  of  gifts  and  offerings 
to  the  Lord.  It  requires  that  these  shall  be 
rendered  cheerfully  and  willingly  to  God. 
This  principle  is  found  in  such  passages  as 
the  following : — In  the  twenty-fifth  of  Exodus 
we  read :  "  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
that  they  may  bring  me  an  offering :  of  every 


Bible   Giving,  283 

man  that  giveth  it  willingly  with  his  heart  ye 
shall  take  my  offering."  Here  we  learn  that 
only  those  gifts  were  to  be  accepted  which 
were  given  willingly  with  the  heart.  In  con- 
nection with  the  preparations  made  by  David 
for  the  building  of  the  Temple,  we  have  a 
striking  example  of  this  principle.  In  the 
last  chapter  of  I  Chronicles  we  read :  "  Then 
the  people  rejoiced,  for  that  they  offered  will- 
ingly^ because  with  perfect  heart  they  offered 
willingly  to  the  Lord:  and  David  the  king 
also  rejoiced  with  great  joy."  The  rulers  and 
the  people  alike  made  their  gifts  with  great 
alacrity  and  willingness.  In  this  fact  lies  the 
chief  value  of  the  offering  made.  In  itself 
it  may  be  much  or  little,  but  in  the  spirit  in 
which  it  is  offered  there  must  be  a  willing 
surrender  of  the  gift  to  the  Lord.  We  shall 
see  the  import  of  this  a  little  further  on. 

In  the  fifth  place,  the  principle  of  represen- 
tation comes  into  view  in  connection  with  all 
the  offerings  before  us.  The  offering  repre- 
sents the  offerer,  or  his  possessions,  before  God. 
This  principle  is  of  deep  and  profound  import 


284  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

in  understanding  tlie  real  purport  of  these 
offerings  the  people  were  required  to  make. 
A  few  passages  will  suffice  here.  In  the 
twenty-ninth  of  Exodus  we  read :  "  This  shall 
be  a  continual  burnt-offering  throughout  your 
generations,  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of 
the  congregation  before  the  Lord :  where  I 
will  meet  you,  to  speak  there  unto  thee.  And 
there  will  /  meet  with  the  children  of  Israel^ 
and  the  tabernacle  shall  be  sanctified  by  my 
glory.  And  I  will  dwell  among  the  children 
of  Israel,  and  will  be  their  God."  In  the 
thirtieth  of  Exodus  we  read :  ''And  thou  shalt 
take  the  atonement  mojtey  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  shalt  appoint  it  for  the  service  of 
the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation ;  that  it 
may  be  a  memorial  unto  the  children  of  Israel 
before  the  Lord,  to  make  atonement  for  your 
souls. ^^  In  the  first  of  Leviticus  we  also  read, 
concerning  the  sacrifices  the  people  were  to 
bring :  ''If  his  offering  be  a  burnt  sacrifice  of 
the  herd  ...  he  shall  offer  it  of  his  own 
voluntary  will  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle 
of  the  Lord.     And  he  shall  put  his  hand  upon 


Bible  Giving.  285 

the  head  of  the  burnt-offering :  and  //  shall  be 
accepted  for  him^  to  make  an  atonement  for 
himP  In  these  passages  we  observe  that  the 
offering  represents  the  offerer.  This  is  clearly 
evident  when  the  life  of  the  victim  is  offered 
in  place  of  the  life  of  him  who  offers  it.  In 
many  other  offerings  we  have  the  feelings  of 
reverence  and  gratitude  on  the  part  of  the 
offerer  represented.  These  offerings  were  part 
of  his  own  property,  and,  in  a  sense,  they  are 
part  of  himself.  When  he  makes  the  offering, 
his  spiritual  feelings  are  really  represented  by 
the  gift  made. 

Then  it  may  be  added,  that  the  principle  of 
the  first-fruits  and  first-born  really  involves  the 
principle  of  representation.  The  first-fruits 
represented  the  whole  harvest,  and  the  first- 
born represents  the  whole  family  or  flock.  In 
the  giving  of  a  part  to  the  Lord,  the  whole  was 
dedicated  to  His  service.  The  part  represents 
the  whole,  and  at  the  same  time  sanctifies  it. 

From  the  Old  Testament  we  have  obtained 
five  very  important  principles  regarding  giving 
to  the  Lord.     First,  what  a  man  gives  must  be 


286  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

his  own  property,  honestly  acquired.  Dis- 
honest gain,  or  wealth  gotten  in  wicked  ways, 
cannot  be  acceptable  to  God.  Secondly,  the 
offering  must  be  distinctly  dedicated  to  God. 
It  is  not  to  be  given  to  a  good  cause  in  order  to 
make  a  good  name,  or  get  gain.  Thirdly,  the 
giving  must  be  of  the  nature  of  a  freewill  offer- 
ing. It  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  tax  imposed; 
it  is  rather  a  privilege  to  be  enjoyed.  The 
spirit  must  be  entirely  voluntary.  Fourthly, 
the  offering  must  consist  of  the  first-born  and 
first-fruits.  The  first  and  best,  not  the  last 
and  worst,  are  the  Lord's.  Fifthly,  the  offer- 
ing represents  the  offerer,  and  should  express 
his  spiritual  feelings.  The  gift  may  be  of  lit- 
tle value  or  much ;  the  main  import  of  the 
offering  is  in  the  spirit  which  prompts  the 
giver  to  make  his  offering. 

In  order  to  make  the  Bible  basis  of  our 
views  of  giving  to  the  Lord  broad  and  stable, 
we  require  to  look  at  the  teaching  of  the 
New  Testament  on  this  subject.  If  we  find 
that  its  teaching  agrees  with  that  of  the 
Old    Testament,    then    the    Bible    basis    for 


Bible  Giving.  287 

right  views  of  giving  to  Christ's  cause  is  un- 
derstood. 

At  the  outset  here  we  must  keep  in  mind, 
that  while  many  things  in  the  Law  of  Moses 
were  for  Jews  only,  and  were  fulfilled  when 
Christ  came,  there  are  many  things  also  en- 
joined in  the  Mosaic  Code  which,  on  the  grounds 
of  natural  religion  as  well  as  revealed,  are 
always  binding  on  men.  Among  those  things 
permanently  binding  on  men  in  all  ages,  is  the 
duty  of  supporting  the  institutions  of  religion 
in  their  midst.  It  by  no  means  follows  that 
because  men  under  the  Gospel  dispensation  are 
not  required  to  bring  animals  of  various  kinds 
for  sacrifice,  therefore  they  are  not  now  under 
obligation  to  give  of  their  means  to  support 
Christian  ordinances,  and  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
others  in  heathen  lands.  "  The  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire."  "  They  that  preach  the 
Gospel  shall  live  by  the  Gospel." 

Again,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  in  un- 
derstanding the  connection  between  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New,  we  have  to  observe 
that  what  is  not  fulfilled  in  nor  repealed  by  the 


288  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

New  Testament,  is  still  binding  on  Christians. 
Thus  the  ten  commandments,  and  the  Sabbath 
law  in  particular,  are  still  obligatory.  They 
are  enjoined  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  were 
binding  on  the  Jews.  They  stand  unrepealed, 
and  are,  indeed,  emphasized  and  expanded  in 
meaning  in  the  New  Testament,  and  Christians 
are  under  obligation  to  observe  such  laws. 
The  sacrifices,  on  the  other  hand,  were  fulfilled 
in  Christ,  and  circumcision  was  no  longer  en- 
joined, and  so  Christians  are  not  required  to 
submit  to  the  latter  nor  bring  the  former. 

Now,  if  we  look  at  the  permanent  offerings 
of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  and  which 
were  for  the  continuous  support  of  the  institu- 
tions and  ordinances  of  religion,  and  of  those 
who  had  charge  of  these  institutions  and  ordi- 
nances, we  find  that  they  were  not  abrogated, 
or  done  away  with. 

We  feel  justified  in  concluding,  therefore, 
that  the  obligation  to  support  the  ordinances  of 
religion  is  still  resting  on  men  under  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation.  The  relation  between  God 
and  man,  as  Creator  and  creature,  is  an  abiding 


Bible   Givmg.  289 

one.  It  exists  in  the  very  nature  of  things. 
Ont  of  this  relation  springs  the  dnty  and  privi- 
lege of  worship.  This  worship  must  be  main- 
tained and  properly  supported.  To  do  this, 
requires  men  to  bring  in  their  gifts  and  offer- 
ings. The  Old  Testament  gives  injunctions 
and  directions  in  regard  to  these  things.  These 
have  not  been  repealed,  nor  fulfilled,  in  what 
the  New  Testament  teaches  ;  nor  have  the  cir- 
cumstances of  worship  so  changed,  as  to  ren- 
der gifts  and  offerings  of  no  use.  Hence  we 
assume  that  the  obligation  rests  on  the  Chris- 
tian Church  to  maintain  and  support  her 
ordinances. 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  New  Testament,  with 
the  view  of  finding  out  whether  the  five  prin- 
ciples discovered  in  the  Old  are  implied  or  set 
forth  in  the  New. 

In  regard  to  the  first,  that  the  gift  presented 
to  the  Lord's  cause  must  be  our  own  property 
honestly  acquired,  it  is  self-evident  that  this 
principle  must  apply  to  the  New  Testament 
and  to  the  givings  of  Christian  people  to  the 
support  of  religious  ordinances.     But  we  find 


290  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

distinct  recognition  of  this  principle  in  several 
passages^of  the  New  Testament.  In  the  fourth 
chapter  of  the  Acts  we  read :  ''And  with  great 
power  gave  the  apostles  witness  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  great  grace  was 
upon  them  all.  Neither  was  there  any  among 
them  that  lacked ;  for  as  many  as  were  posses- 
sors of  houses  or  lands  sold  them,  and  brought 
the  prices  of  the  things  that  were  sold  and  laid 
them  at  the  apostles'  feet."  Here  we  see  that 
the  gifts  offered  were  the  possessions  of  those 
making  them.  The  property  was  turned  into 
money,  and  the  money  was  given. 

The  case  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  recorded 
in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Acts,  involves  the  same 
principle.  Concerning  it  we  read:  "  Whilst  it 
remained  was  it  not  their  own  ?  and  after  it 
was  sold  was  it  not  in  their  own  power  ?  Why 
hast  thou  conceived  this  thing  in  thine  heart  ? 
Thou  hast  not  lied  unto  men  but  unto  God." 
Here  we  find  ownership  emphasized,  and  the 
mistake  Ananias  made  was  in  professing  to 
sell  and  give  all  the  proceeds  of  his  property 
to  the  apostles,  and  at  the  same  time  he  was 


Bible   Giving.  291 

keeping  back  part  of  it  secretly.  But  the 
property  was  his  own,  and  from  this  he  was 
making  a  partial  offering  when  he  should  have 
given  the  whole. 

In  II  Corinthians,  the  eighth  chapter,  we 
find  the  Christian  liberality  of  one  place  help- 
ing the  need  of  the  Christians  in  another  place. 
"  For  to  their  power,  I  bear  record,  yea  and  be- 
yond their  power,  they  were  willing  of  them- 
selves ;  praying  us  with  much  entreaty  that 
we  would  receive  the  gift,  and  take  upon  us  the 
fellowship  of  the  ministering  to  the  saints." 
The  gift  here  spoken  of  was  no  doubt  from  the 
property  of  those  making  it,  so  that  from  the 
abundance  of  some  the  need  of  others  might 
be  supplied. 

We  have  thus  shown  with  some  little  care 
that  the  principle  of  ownership  which  seems 
so  simple  and  self-evident,  is  clearly  implied  in 
the  New  Testament.  The  reason  why  we  have 
emphasized  this  point  is,  that  it  condemns 
many  modern  methods  of  raising  money  for 
religious  purposes.  The  aim  of  many  of  these 
methods  seems  to  be  to  get  as  much  money  as 


292  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

possible  from  outsiders,  and  thus  save  the 
purses  of  the  church  members.  These  methods 
are  rather  schemes  by  which  others  may  be  led 
to  give,  and  thus  what  is  given  is  not  our  prop- 
erty, and  has  not  the  stamp  of  ownership  upon 
it.  This  point  will  come  before  us  again,  and 
we  leave  it  with  this  mere  hint  now. 

In  regard  to  the  second  principle,  that  all 
offerings  are  to  be  dedicated  directl}^  or  indi- 
rectly to  God,  we  need  only  say,  that  it  is  as 
clearly  involved  in  the  New  Testament  as  in 
the  Old.  It,  too,  may  be  taken  to  be  self- 
evident,  yet  it  will  do  no  harm  to  recite  a  few 
passages  which  enjoin  this  truth.  The  New 
Testament  basis  of  this  principle  will  then  be 
unquestioned.  We  have  Christ's  remarkable 
words  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Mark:  "And 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Render 
unto  Csesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  Here 
we  have  the  principle  involved,  that  religious 
offerings  are  not  a  mere  transaction  between 
man  and  man,  but  an  act  of  consecrating  the 
gift  and  service  to  God.     In  II  Corinthians, 


Bible  Giving,  593 

ninth  chapter,  we  read  in  the  same  line  :  "  Being 
enriched  in  everything  to  all  bountifulness, 
which  causes  through  us  thanksgiving  to  God. 
For  the  administration  of  this  service  not  only 
supplieth  the  want  of  the  saints,  but  is  abun- 
dant also  by  many  thanksgivings  unto  God ; 
while,  by  the  experiment  of  this  ministration, 
they  glorify  God  for  your  professed  subjection 
unto  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  for  your  liberal 
distribution  unto  them,  and  unto  all  men." 
Here  the  givings  of  Christians  to  relieve  the 
need  of  their  suffering  brethren  is  regarded  as 
an  offering  to  God,  producing  thanksgiving 
and  bringing  glory  to  Him.  Our  eating  and 
drinking,  our  serving  and  giving,  should  all  be 
done  unto  God  and  for  His  glory. 

In  the  last  chapter  of  Philippians  we  see  how 
Paul  regarded  certain  offerings  which  one  of 
his  friends  and  fellow-laborers  brought  him, 
when  he  says  :  "But  I  have  all,  and  abound ; 
I  am  full,  having  received  of  Epaphroditus  the 
things  which  were  sent  from  you,  an  odor  of  a 
sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleas- 
ing to  God."     Here  what  the  Christian  people 


294  ^^^^  Path  to    Wealth, 

gave  Paul  was  regarded  by  him  as  an  ofifering 
to  God.  In  like  manner,  what  was  given  to 
support  the  laborer  in  the  great  gospel  harvest 
field  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  offering  to  the 
Lord.  ''  They  that  preach  the  gospel  are  to 
live  by  the  gospel,"  and  that  living  is  a  sacred 
gift,  and  not  merely  a  simple  financial  trans- 
action. The  Old  Testament  and  New,  we  be- 
lieve, are  at  one  on  this  point.  The  institutions 
and  ordinances  of  religion  must  be  supported 
by  the  Christian  community,  and  that  support 
is  to  be  regarded  not  simply  as  pay  given  to 
certain  men,  but  as  an  offering  made  to  God 
for  the  support  of  gospel  ordinances  in  their 
midst. 

In  reference  to  the  third  principle,  that 
these  offerings  should  be  of  the  first-fruits,  we 
find  New  Testament  teaching  clear  and  fre- 
quent, so  that  the  Christian  as  well  as  the  Jew 
is  bound  to  give  the  first  and  best  to  the  Lord. 
In  the  New  Testament  there  was  not  the  same 
scope  for  this  principle  as  in  the  Old.  In  the 
Old  many  different  kinds  of  sacrifices  and 
offerings  were  required.     These  were  to  con- 


EPAPHRODITUS  BRINGING  GIF^IO  PAUL,     P„,.„P„..s  .v. 

(295) 


296  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

sist  in  the  first-fruits  and  first-bom.  They 
were  to  indicate  in  this  way  that  the  best  of 
man's  produce  and  of  his  service  was  to  be  set 
apart  to  God. 

The  Christian  presents  himself  and  his  pos- 
sessions to  God.  Thus,  in  the  eighth  chapter 
of  II  Corinthians,  we  read:  "Praying  us  with 
much  entreaty  that  we  would  receive  the  gift, 
and  take  upon  us  the  fellowship  of  the  minis- 
tering to  the  saints.  And  this  they  did,  not 
as  we  hoped,  but  first  gave  their  own  selves  to 
the  Lord,  and  unto  us  by  the  will  of  God." 
Here  the  Macedonian  Christians  are  said  to 
have  first  given  themselves  to  God,  and  then 
to  have  given  their  property,  and  particularly 
the  collection  for  the  poor  brethren  at  Jeru- 
salem. In  giving  themselves,  they  gave  the 
best  that  was  theirs. 

This  principle,  which  was  very  prominent 
in  the  Old  Testament,  stands  unrepealed  -  in 
the  New,  and  hence  it  is  binding  also  on  the 
Christian.  This  principle  runs  all  through 
our  Lord's  teaching,  and  it  reappears  in  the 
writings   of  the   Apostles.     It  also  condemns 


Bible   Giving.  2gj 

the  practice  of  some  outwardly  respectable 
Christians,  who  give  as  if  the  last  fruits  rather 
than  t\iQ  first  fruits  are  the  Lord's.  Such  peo- 
ple, when  their  income  falls  below  the  average, 
begin  curtailing  outlay.  The  very  first  place 
where  they  begin  to  curtail  is  in  regard  to  that 
which  is  to  be  given  to  the  Lord  and  His  cause. 
The  first  fruit  is  the  Lord's,  and  should  go  to 
Him  in  every  case. 

The  fourth  principle,  that  the  spirit  in  which 
the  offering  is  to  be  made  must  be  voluntary — 
freewill — is  on  the  very  surface  of  the  New 
Testament.  In  our  Lord's  words  of  commen- 
dation concerning  the  two  mites  which  the 
poor  widow  cast  into  the  treasury,  we  see  that 
He  valued  the  spirit  in  which  the  gift  was 
made,  rather  than  the  real  amount  of  the  gift. 
The  element  of  freewill  and  even  voluntary 
selfsacrifice,  is  that  which  enriches  the  gift  in 
the  sight  of  God. 

In  the  eighth  chapter  of  II  Corinthians,  we 
read :  "  For  if  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  it 
is  accepted  according  to  that  a  man  hath,  and 
not  according  to  that  he  hath  not.  "     In  these 


298  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

words  the  apostle  brings  out  our  Lord's  teacli- 
ing  into  clear  and  practical  effect,  in  the  case 
of  the  givings  of  Christian  people.  In  the  ninth 
chapter  of  the  same  epistle,  we  find  it  written : 
''  Every  man  according  as  he  hath  purposed  in 
his  heart  so  let  him  give ;  not  grudgingly,  or 
of  necessity ;  for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 
Many  other  passages  might  be  quoted  from  the 
New  Testament  in  support  of  this  principle, 
hence  we  conclude  without  further  discussion 
that  all  our  gifts  to  God  and  all  our  givings 
to  His  cause,  should  be  distinctly  freewill  offer- 
ings. That  which  is  given  with  a  grudge  is 
of  little  value  in  God's  sight,  while  that  which 
is  freely  and  cheerfully  given,  even  though  it 
involve  sacrifice,  is  of  very  great  value  in  His 
eyes. 

In  regard  to  the  last  principle  mentioned, 
that  of  representation,  little  need  be  said  con- 
cerning its  New  Testament  basis.  Our  gifts 
should  all  represent  our  possessions  on  the  one 
hand  and  our  feelings  on  the  other.  The  offer- 
ing, to  have  any  meaning,  must  be  the  expres- 
sion of  the  devout  and  reverent  feelings  which 


Bible  Giving.  299 

exist  in  the  heart  of  the  offerer.  Here,  all 
those  passages  which  speak  of  Christians  as 
stewards  of  God's  mercies,  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual, come  into  view. 

Concerning  the  good  servant,  in  the  parable 
of  the  talents,  we  read :  "  His  lord  saith  unto 
him,  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many 
things ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord." 
Here  the  use  made  of  the  talents  represented 
the  real  spirit  of  fidelity  on  the  part  of  the 
faithful  servant ;  while  the  man  who  hid  the 
talent  in  the  earth,  by  the  use  he  made  of  his 
gift,  displayed  the  opposite  spirit.  In  the  New 
Testament,  as  in  the  Old,  we  find  that  the  gift 
should  represent  all  our  property,  which  we 
hold  in  stewardship  at  God's  hand ;  and  it 
should  also  represent  our  feelings,  and  express 
them  in  suitable  outward  form.  If  you  read 
carefully  the  eighth  and  ninth  chapters  of  II 
Corinthians,  you  will  find  running  all  through 
them  the  same  twofold  application  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  representation.    We  need  not,  however, 


300  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

dwell  longer  upon  it  just  now;  we  will  have 
something  more  to  say  about  it  further  on  in 
our  discussion. 

We  have  thus  sought  to  lay  down  what 
seems  to  us  to  be  the  Bible  foundation  of  our 
giving  to  the  Lord  and  his  cause.  The  five 
important  principles  found  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment have  also  their  place  in  the  New,  and 
thus  the  true  Scriptural  nature  of  Bible  Giv- 
ing has  been  unfolded.  For  the  permanent 
support  of  the  institutions  of  religion  we  get, 
in  these  principles,  the  key  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  these  institutions  should  be  provided 
for.  In  further  treating  of  this  subject  we 
shall  endeavor  to  see  how  far  these  prin- 
ciples now  rule  in  the  methods  employed  by 
the  Christian  Church  to  raise  money  to  sup- 
port ordinances  in  the  community.  We,  no 
doubt,  will  find  ourselves  called  upon  to  ex- 
amine some  of  the  ways  by  which  religion 
now-a-days  is  supported,  and  perhaps  some  of 
these  will  be  condemned.  In  our  examination 
we  shall  be  careful  to  apply  the  test  of  God's 
Word  as  expressed  in  the  principles  of  owner- 


Bible  Giving.  301 

ship,  of  consecration,  of  first-fruits,  of  freewill, 
and  of  representation.  To  this  task  we  now 
proceed. 

SECTION  II. 

Practical  Application. 

In  making  some  practical  applications  of 
the  principles  which  form  the  basis  of  Bible 
Giving,  w^e  intend  to  look  at  the  condition  of 
affairs  in  any  average  Christian  community, 
and  try  to  discover  how  near  we  are  keeping 
to  Bible  teaching  in  our  actual  practice  and 
methods  of  raising  money  generally  for  the 
Lord's  cause.  This  will  include  the  raising 
of  money  to  build  churches,  and  pa}^  the 
general  running  expenses  of  maintaining 
divine  service  and  religious  ordinances.  It 
will  also  include  all  contributions  to  the  sup- 
port of  colleges  to  educate  the  ministry  of 
the  Church ;  and  it  will  also  cover  all  money 
given  to  the  cause  of  missions  to  the  heathen. 
These  are  the  chief  items  pertaining  to  the 
support  of  the  permanent  institutions  of  reli- 


302  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

gion,  and  we  now  wish  to  get  at  the   Bible 
method  by  which  these  are  to  be  kept  up. 

It  is,  of  course,  taken  for  granted  that  these 
ordinances  of  religion  are  of  permanent  obli- 
gation upon  men.  They  are  not  matters 
which  men  or  nations  dare  neglect  save  at 
their  great  peril.  It  is  also  taken  for  granted 
that  the  Scriptures  make  provision  for  the 
support  of  duly  authorized  teachers  in  con- 
nection with  religion.  In  the  Old  Testament 
we  find  that  the  priests  and  Levites  were  to  be 
supported  by  the  people.  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment the  ministry  of  the  Christian  Church  is 
to  be  supported  by  the  liberality  of  the  people 
to  whom  they  minister.  In  return  for  the 
spiritual  things  which  this  ministry  gives  the 
people,  the  people  are  to  give  their  carnal 
things.  They  that  devote  their  lives  to 
preaching  the  Gospel  are  to  get  that  which 
they  need  to  support  them  from  the  people. 
The  ox  which  was  used  to  tread  out  the  corn 
in  the  olden  threshing  floor  was  not  to  be 
muzzled,  but  was  to  be  allowed  to  eat  what  it 
liked;    so   in  the  Gospel  harvest-field  the  la- 


Bible   Giving,  303 

borer  therein  is  to  have  his  hire  in  the  form 
of  suitable  maintenance.  Now  for  some  prac- 
tical applications. 

First,  let  us  look  at  the  matter  of  chiirxh 
building.  In  early  times  the  Jews  had  the 
Tabernacle  and  Temple  as  the  places  of  wor- 
ship ;  and  in  the  days  which  followed  the 
captivity  they  had  their  synagogues  all  over 
the  land.  At  the  time  of  Christ,  and  in  the 
early  days  of  Christianity,  we  find  that  the 
Gospel  was  preached  in  the  synagogue  and  in 
private  houses  or  rooms  hired  for  the  purpose. 
By  degrees,  as  Christianity  gained  strength 
and  separated  itself  from  Judaism,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  have  suitable  meeting 
places  provided.  This  was  especially  the  case 
when  Christianity  extended  among  the  pagan 
nations,  where  there  was  no  synagogue  that 
might  become  the  home  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

During  the  dark  middle  ages  it  is  very  in- 
teresting to  observe,  that  when  spiritual  life 
seemed  to  be  at  a  very  low  ebb,  church  build- 
ing and  architecture  appears  to  have  reached 


304  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

its  highest  excellence.  It  was  then  that  those 
cathedrals  were  reared,  which  today,  whether 
in  ruins  or  repair,  are  the  admiration  of  all 
who  look  upon  them.  The  mechanical  skill 
and  architectural  genius  displayed  in  many  of 
these  mediaeval  piles  are  still  a  standing 
wonder  to  the  world ;  while  the  amount  of 
money  necessary  for  such  structures  must 
have  been  very  great,  at  a  time,  too,  when 
money  was  scarce. 

In  our  own  day,  we  find  church  edifices  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes,  from  the  plain  little  chapel 
to  the  vast  modern  cathedral.  No  particular 
style  prevails,  but  people  build  according  to 
their  taste  and  means,  unless  they  do  what  we 
fear  is  sometimes  done,  go  beyond  their  means. 
The  question  before  us  now  is,  how  should  the 
money  needed  to  erect  the  church  building  be 
raised?  Along  with  this  question,  others 
closely  related  to  it  arise.  Should  all  the 
money  be  in  hand  before  the  building  is  be- 
gun ?  Should  the  present  generation  pay  all, 
or  is  it  justified  in  leaving  a  debt  as  a  legacy 
to   future   generations  ?     Can  money  used  to 


Bible  Giving,  305 

pay  interest  on  such  debts  be  regarded  as  given 
to  the  Lord  at  all  ?  Is  there  no  danger  of  ex- 
travagance in  some  of  our  modern  luxurious 
church  buildings  ? 

No  exhaustive  discussion  of  these  questions 
is  here  possible,  yet  the  principles  of  Bible 
giving  already  set  forth  will  help  us  to  at 
least  a  partial  answer  to  some  of  them.  It  is 
admitted  that  God's  service  should  have  our 
best,  even  in  regard  to  the  matter  of  church 
building.  When  people  were  living  in  log 
houses  it  was  all  right  to  worship  in  log  build- 
ings ;  but  when  people  became  better  off,  and 
live  in  houses  of  brick  and  stone,  it  is  fitting 
that  they  should  have  edifices  at  least  as  good 
to  worship  God  in.  At  the  same  time  there 
is  danger  of  needless  luxury,  and  needless  ex- 
pense in  our  modern  church  buildings.  In 
their  furnishings  especially,  they  are  so  rich 
and  expensive  that  plain  people  do  not  feel 
at  home  in  them,  and  poor  people  cannot  pay 
what  is  requisite  to  keep  them  up. 

The  consequences  are  already  seen  in  our 
large  towns  and  cities.     Many  of  the  laboring 


3o6  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

and  mechanic  classes  have  drifted  away  from 
the  regular  churches,  and  are  to  be  numbered 
among  the  non-church  goers.  To  bring  the 
Gospel  to  these  we  find  the  mission  hall  erected, 
and  earnest  evangelistic  work  undertaken. 
This  is  good  so  far,  yet  I  am  persuaded  that  it 
will  not  turn  out  best  in  the  end.  The  result 
will  be  that  in  the  fine  church  we  will  find  the 
rich,  and  in  the  mission  hall  we  will  find  the 
poor.  This  brings  class  distinction  where  it 
should  never  be  found,  for  in  divine  worship 
and  religious  instruction  the  rich  and  poor 
should  meet  together,  for  ''  the  Lord  is  the 
maker  of  them  all." 

In  regard  to  church  debts,  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  saying  that  they  are  bad^  and  that 
continually.  They  are  a  constant  drain  upon 
the  resources  of  Christian  people  in  paying 
interest,  and  they  paralyze  the  liberality  of 
the  people  in  almost  every  respect.  The  ex- 
istence of  a  debt  will  keep  people  from  joining 
any  congregation  thus  burdened,  and  by  the 
people  of  the  congregation,  the  fact  of  their 
having  a  debt  will  be  made  a  standing  excuse 


^^^ 


'V I  r* — ^ 


THE  LOG  CHURCH. 


(307) 


3o8     .  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

why  they  should  not  give  to  mission  and  other 
deserving  schemes.  Any  one  who  has  had 
any  experience  in  this  matter  will  endorse 
what  I  have  just  said.  People  naturally  feel 
that  paying  interest  on  church  debts  is  like 
putting  money  into  a  sink-hole.  It  is  not 
even  the  same  in  some  respects  as  paying  in- 
terest on  money  borrowed  to  invest  in  busi- 
ness. In  the  latter  case,  the  profit  made  may 
be  sufficient  to  pay  the  interest  and  leave  a 
margin  of  profit,  but  in  the  case  of  church 
debts,  they  seem  to  make  constant  demands, 
but  give  no  return.  Of  all  debts,  therefore, 
church  debts  are  the  worst. 

It  is  always  best  to  have  no  debt  in  view 
when  church  building  is  undertaken.  Church 
boards  and  building  committees  should  exer- 
cise the  utmost  care  in  regard  to  the  financial 
burdens  they  incur  for  themselves  and  others, 
and  Christian  people  should  open  a  liberal 
hand  to  provide  cheerfully  and  promptly  suit- 
able church  accommodation  for  themselves  and 
those  who  meet  with  them.  It  would  be  a  mis- 
take, however,  to  conclude  that  new- churches 


Bible  Giving.  309 

should  not  be  built  where  people  are  selfish 
and  mean  in  their  giving  to  the  Lord.  In 
such  cases,  the  great  thing  is  that  these  illib- 
eral people  should  be  stirred  up  to  a  sense  of 
their  duty ;  and  then,  according  to  their  ability, 
let  them  rise  and  build,  paying  for  all  as  they 
go.  It  is  poor  policy  for  a  man  to  build  a  large 
house  for  himself  and  family  to  live  in  with 
borrowed  money,  so  it  is  exceedingly  improper 
to  have  a  debt  on  the  house  in  which  we  wor- 
ship God. 

The  example  of  the  Jews  in  preparing  to 
construct  the  Tabernacle  and  in  building  the 
Temple,  is  full  of  instruction  in  this  connec- 
tion. In  the  case  of  the  Tabernacle,  in  the 
thirty-fifth  chapter  of  Exodus  we  read:  "And 
they  came,  every  one  whose  heart  stirred  him 
up,  and  every  one  whom  his  spirit  made  will- 
ing, and  they  brought  the  Lord's  offering  to 
the  work  of  the  Tabernacle  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  for  all  His  service,  and  for  the  holy 
garments."  Further  on  in  the  same  chapter, 
we  find  it  written  :  "And  the  children  of  Israel 
brought  ar willing  offering  unto  the  Lord,  every 


3IO  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

man  and  woman  whose  heart  made  them  will- 
ing to  bring,  for  all  manner  of  work  which  the 
Lord  had  commanded  to  be  made  by  the  hand 
of  Moses."  Here  we  have  the  proper  spirit  and 
manner  of  giving  to  the  Lord  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  place  of  worship. 

In  the  following  chapter  of  Exodus  we  find 
the  result  of  this  spirit  and  method  of  giving 
brought  out  in  a  very  striking  way :  '^  And  all 
the  wise  men,  that  wrought  all  the  work  of 
the  Sanctuary,  came  every  man  from  his  work 
which  they  made  ;  and  they  spake  unto  Moses, 
saying,  The  people  bring  much  more  than 
enough  for  the  service  of  the  work  which  the 
Lord  commanded  to  make.  And  Moses  gave 
commandment,  and  they  caused  it  to  be  pro- 
claimed throughout  the  camp,  saying.  Let  nei- 
ther man  nor  woman  make  any  more  work  for 
the  offering  of  the  Sanctuary.  So  the  people 
were  restrained  from  bringing.  For  the  stuff 
they  had  was  sufficient  for  all  the  work  to 
make  it,  and  too  much."  Would  that  we  might 
see  something  like  this  spirit  among  Christian 
people  at  the  present  day!     Alas,  that  under 


Bible   Giving.  311 

the  full  ligHt  of  Gospel  truth,  we  have  so  often 
to  be  urged  and  pressed  to  do  what  is  only  sim- 
ple duty,  in  giving  for  the  erection  of  places 
of  worship  !  When  will  we  reach  the  ideal  the 
old  Jews  have  put  before  us  in  connection  with 
this  very  matter  ?  Shall  we  ever  have  to  say, 
stop,  friends,  we  have  more  than  enough  ?  In 
order  to  reach  this  position  we  must  get  nearer 
the  Bible  basis  of  giving ;  and  by  working  out 
the  principles  of  Bible  giving  already  set  forth 
I  believe  that  we  may  yet  see  like  liberality 
among  Christians.  May  the  Lord  hasten  that 
happy  day ! 

In  connection  with  the  building  of  the 
Temple  we  find  the  same  spirit  exercised  in 
the  last  chapter  of  the  book  of  I  Chronicles. 
The  account  runs  all  through  the  chapter,  but 
is  summarized  in  David's  own  words :  ^' As  for 
me,  in  the  uprightness  of  mine  heart  I  have 
willingly  offered  all  these  things :  and  now 
have  seen  with  joy  thy  people,  which  are  pres- 
ent here,  to  offer  willingly  to  thee."  Here  all 
the  money  and  material  were  ready  before  the 
work  was  undertaken,  giving  us  the  hint  that 


312  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

we  should  have  the  funds  ready  before  we  go 
on  to  build  our  churches,  and  showing  unto 
us  that  if  we  have  the  right  spirit  the  money 
will  be  forthcoming.  If  this  be  attained,  then 
debts  on  church  buildings  would  be  unknown, 
and  the  willing  liberality  of  the  people  would 
be  amply  sufficient  to  supply  every  need. 
Many  questionable  methods  of  raising  money 
for  church  building  purposes  must  stand  con- 
demned by  these  principles,  but  of  these  we 
shall  speak  at  length  further  on. 

In  the  second  place,  we  proceed  to  apply 
these  principles  of  Bible  Giving  to  the  Pew 
Rent  system.  Concerning  this  system  there  is 
little  or  nothing  directly  set  forth  in  Scripture. 
Neither  in  Tabernacle  nor  Temple  service  had 
the  custom  of  paying  for  a  particular  place  any 
existence.  Nor  do  we  read  of  any  such  method 
of  raising  money  in  the  early  histor}^  of  the 
Church,  contained  in  the  Acts  and  hinted  at  in 
the  Epistles.  If  we  desired  to  be  very  critical 
in  regard  to  the  modern  pew  rent  system  we 
might  justly  say  that  it  is  unscriptural,  in  the 
sense  at   least  that   the    Bible    says    nothing 


Bible   Giving.  313 

whatever  about  it.  To  take  this  position,  how- 
ever, would  not  serve  any  useful  purpose  in 
this  discussion. 

We  shall  rather  seek  to  find  out  how  far  the 
pew  rent  system  agrees  with  the  principles  of 
Bible  Giving  which  have  been  already  set 
forth,  in  order  to  discover  thereby  whether  it 
is  expedient  for  the  Christian  Church  to  adopt 
it.  If,  after  examination,  it  is  found  that  the 
pew  rent  system  is  not  consistent  with  these 
principles,  then  it  will  be  a  proper  thing  to  en- 
quire what  system  should  be  adopted. 

It  would  lead  us  away  from  our  subject  too 
far  to  give  any  extended  history  of  the  custom 
of  renting  pews  in  churches,  though  such  a 
history  would  be  of  very  great  interest.  We 
find  the  custom  existing  as  a  fact,  and  that  is 
really  all  we  need  for  our  present  purpose. 
We  find  it  existing  in  various  forms.  Some- 
times it  consists  in  a  kind  of  ownership  or  en- 
dowment. This  arises  in  certain  cases  when 
the  church  is  built  as  the  result  of  large  sub- 
scriptions or  bequests  made  for  the  purpose  of 

its  erection.     Thus  a  person  giving  such  be- 
21 


314  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

quest  secures  or  is  granted  a  right  for  himself, 
and  sometimes  for  his  heirs  after  him,  a  kind 
of  vested  or  property  right  to  a  certain  pew  in 
the  Lord's  house.  There  are  many  instances 
of  this  in  Britain,  some  in  the  United  States, 
and  a  few  even  in  Canada. 

Again,  we  find  the  pew  rent  system  in  the 
form  of  a  mere  rental,  with  no  real  proprietor- 
ship in  it.  This  plan  of  working  the  system 
takes  different  forms,  some  much  more  objec- 
tionable than  others.  In  some  cases  it  is  a 
simple  fixed  rate,  where  so  much  is  charged 
for  the  sittings,  and  these  singly  or  as  whole 
pews  are  let  out  to  the  applicants  for  them. 
Then,  under  this  plan  in  certain  cases  the  front 
or  best  pews  will  be  held  at  a  higher  rental 
than  the  rear  ones  or  than  those  in  the  gallery. 
The  applicant  then  has  the  choice  of  the  high- 
priced  or  the  low-priced  location  in  the  house 
of  God  as  he  pleases  or  prefers. 

In  connection  with  the  renting  of  the  pews 
the  services  of  the  auctioneer  are  sometimes 
called  for.  This  usually  takes  place  in  cjties, 
and  in  connection  with  the  financial  manage- 


Bible  Giving. 


315 


ment  of  large  and  fashionable  churclies  with 
popular  pastors.  We  need  not  specify  names 
or  places  here,  but  no  doubt  most  of  the  readers 
of  these  pages  have  heard  about  these  auction 


RENTING  PEWS  AT  AUCTION. 


sales  of  pews.  According  to  this  plan  of  work- 
ing the  system,  the  choice  pews  will  some- 
times be  run  up  to  a  high  figure  under  the 
pressure  of  keen  competition,  and  we  often 
hear  of  incidents  taking  place  in  connection 


3i6  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

with  these  pew  sales  which  are  not  creditable 
to  religion. 

Now,  in  all  these  cases  we  have  the  same 
principles  more  or  less  distinctly  involved.  In 
some  of  the  cases  cited  the  system  is  more  ob- 
jectionable than  in  others,  but  we  do  not  hesi^ 
tate  to  affirm  that  in  every  form  the  pew  rent 
system  is  inconsistent  with,  and  entirely  op- 
posed to  the  principles  of  Bible  Giving  which 
we  have  already  deduced  from  Scripture.  We 
may  admit,  that  as  managed  in  certain  cases, 
when  prudent  Christian  men  have  charge  of 
it,  and  where  the  people  are  all  or  nearly  all 
in  circumstances  of  comparative  comfort,  its 
evil  results  may  not  be  very  apparent.  But 
if  it  be  unscriptural,  and  hence  wrong  in  prin- 
ciple, it  must  be  inexpedient  and  often  injuri- 
ous in  practice.  As  nothing  is  said  about  it  in 
the  Bible,  it  cannot  be  argued  that  the  system 
has  scriptural  authority.  What  we  assert,  how- 
ever, concerning  it  is  that,  though  nothing  is 
forbidden  or  enjoined  concerning  it  in  Scrip- 
ture, yet  it  is  opposed  to  plain  inferences  from 
Scripture,  and  that  its  results,  in  very  many 


Bible  Giving.  317 

cases,  are  very  hurtful  to  the  best  interests  of 
religion  among  all  classes  of  a  mixed  commu- 
nity.    To  show  this  we  now  proceed. 

In  the  first  place,  the  sy stern  of  renting  peivs 
is  iriconsistent  with  the  fulness  and  f'eeriess 
of  the  Gospel.  The  Bible  states  distinctly  that 
the  Gospel  message  is  to  be  declared  to  all 
classes  of  the  people,  and  specially  to  the  poor. 
That  the  poor  had  the  Gospel  preached  to  them, 
is  adduced  by  our  Lord  as  one  of  the  proofs  of 
his  Messiahship,  in  fulfilment  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy.  If,  therefore,  the  churches,  by  means 
of  a  fixed  pew  rent,  whether  low  or  high,  ren- 
der it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  a  number 
of  poor  people,  to  whom  the  Gospel  message 
is  to  be  brought  as  well  as  to  the  rich,  to  attend 
regularly  the  places  where  that  message  is  de- 
clared, then  the  system  that  does  this  in  any 
measure  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  very  spirit 
of  the  Gospel. 

That  such  is  the  effect  of  pew  rents  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  Ten  years'  experience  in  the 
pastorate  has  brought  many  cases  of  this  kind 
before  my  notice.     People  are  poor  and  do  not 


3i8  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

attend  cliurch.  Ask  them  why,  and,  rightly 
or  wrongly,  in  many  cases  the  answer  given  is 
that  they  are  not  able  to  pay  the  required  seat 
rent ;  and,  rather  than  to  go  to  God's  house  as 
paupers,  however  welcomed  by  the  people  of  the 
church,  they  prefer  to  remain  away.  In  many 
cases  of  this  kind,  any  little  regard  which  such 
poor  people  may  have  had  for  religion  soon 
dies  out.  The  children  grow  up  neglected,  and 
go  too  often  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  lapsed 
masses,  which  in  large  cities  present  such  a 
difficult  problem  alike  to  the  statesman  and  the 
philanthropist.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  emphasize 
too  strongly  this  important  point  in  its  bearing 
on  the  pew  rent  system.  Woe  to  the  system 
which  in  any  way  contravenes  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  or  narrows  the  scope  of  its  application  ! 
In  the  second  place,  the  pew  rent  system  is 
not  in  harmony  with  the  Bible  principles  of 
freewill  and  representation^  as  already  set 
forth.  The  payment  of  a  stated  sum  in  a  cer- 
tain way,  and  for  a  certain  purpose,  renders  it 
dif&cult  for  the  person  making  the  payment 
to  look  upon  what  he  gives  for  pew  rent  as  a 


Bible  Giving.  319 

freewill  offering.  It  comes  upon  him  in  the 
form  of  pecuniary  obligation,  rather  than  from 
him  as  a  voluntary  offering.  It  is  not  denied 
but  in  some  cases  the  pew  renter  may  be  able 
to  look  upon  his  dues  as  such  an  offering,  but 
it  does  seem  natural  to  conclude  that  it  will 
always  require  more  than  an  ordinary  amount 
of  divine  light  and  grace  to  look  upon  such 
payment  in  that  way.  In  the  majority  of 
cases,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  pew  rent  is 
regarded  as  a  kind  of  debt  owed  to  the  Board 
of  Management,  rather  than  as  an  offering  to 
God.  Hence,  the  idea  of  dedicating  the  amount 
to  God  is  not  so  present  as  it  ought  to  be,  and 
as  it  is  possible  to  have  it.  The  feeling  will 
lurk  in  the  mind,  that  the  pew  rent  simply 
means  so  much  money  for  so  much  room  in 
church ;  and  the  conviction  that  all  we  give 
for  the  support  of  the  permanent  institutions 
of  religion,  is  a  gift  consecrated  to  God,  will 
be  further  removed  from  the  mind  than  it 
should  be.  The  effect  of  this  upon  the  spirit- 
ual life  of  the  person  making  the  payment  will 
be  far  from  helpful. 


320  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

It  follows  from  what  has  just  been  said,  that 
the  principle  of  representation  cannot  have, 
under  the  pew  rent  system,  such  a  large  place 
as  the  Bible  gives  it.  If  a  man  pays  his  pew 
rent  as  a  mere  financial  transaction,  the  money 
paid  cannot  represent  so  fully  as  is  desirable 
the  devout  and  earnest  feelings  of  the  very 
soul  of  the  giver.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
the  gifts  we  make  to  the  Lord  have  value  in 
proportion  as  those  feelings  are  imported  into 
the  gifts,  and  expressed  by  them.  A  man 
may  pay  a  large  sum  as  pew  rent,  but  if  he 
pays  it  with  a  kind  of  grudge,  there  is  then 
no  proper  and  acceptable  feelings  represented 
by  the  payment.  It  is  these  suitable  feelings, 
rather  than  the  mere  material  wealth  as  such, 
that  God  is  pleased  with ;  and  our  gifts,  to 
have  value  in  the  treasury  of  heaven,  must 
represent  such  feelings.  This  again  will  have 
an  effect  on  our  spiritual  life.  In  proportion  as 
a  man  feels  that  his  very  heart  is  represented 
in  his  gifts,  will  he  grow  in  grace. 

In  the  third  place,  the  pew  rent  system  in- 
troduces  an    unscriptural    distinction    between 


Bible  Giving.  321 

the  rich  and  poor.  The  rich  man  can  pay  for 
the  best  pew,  and  the  poor  man  must  be  con- 
tent with  the  inferior  location  in  church.  The 
consequence  is  that  all  the  wealthier  people 
are  gathered  together  in  one  place,  and  those 
not  so  well  off  are  grouped  together  in  another. 
The  result  is  sure  to  be  that  the  richer  people 
will  tend  to  despise  the  poorer,  and  the  poorer 
people  will  incline  to  envy  the  richer  in  the 
house  of  God.  This  separation  between  the 
two  classes — found  more  or  less  in  every  con- 
gregation— will  be  carried  out  into  everything 
connected  with  church  work  and  Christian 
fellowship,  and  many  churches  to-day  lament 
what  they  say  that  the}^  cannot  help,  and 
what  we  believe  to  be  due  in  some  measure 
to  the  pew  rent  system.  If  these  evil  effects 
follow  the  working  of  that  system,  and  if 
the  mone}'  needed  for  church  purposes  can 
be  raised  in  other  ways,  as  we  believe  it  can, 
then  there  is  good  reason  for  abolishing  the 
system. 

While  we  advocate  this  position,  we  do  not 
shut  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  in  the  nature  of 


322 


The  Path  to   Wealth. 


things  there  are  distinctions  in  society,  and 
various  classes  among  men ;  but  we  do  main- 
tain that  the  place,  of  all  others,  where  these 
worldly  distinctions  should  least  obtain,  is  the 
place  of  divine  worship  and  religious  ordi- 
nance. The  rich  and  poor  are  to  meet  together 
here,  and  on  common  ground ;  and  as  needy 
men  and  women  before  God  are  they  to  as- 
semble themselves  together  for  worship  and 
instruction.  The  rich  man  is  not  to  pride 
himself  in  his  worldly  goods,  and  despise  the 
poor  man ;  nor  should  the  poor  man  be  envi- 
ous or  jealous  of  the  rich  man.  Stripped  of 
all  earthly  distinctions  they  should  both  seek 
to  appear  before  God  as  men,  and  as  sinful, 
needy  men  sensible  of  common  wants. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  churches  sometimes 
unconsciously  foster  this  spirit  which  we  are 
condemning,  by  paying  a  little  more  attention 
to,  and  making  a  little  more  of,  a  rich  man 
and  his  family  than  of  a  poor  man  and  his 
family.  If  any  are  to  have  special  attention 
shown  and  interest  taken  in  them,  it  should 
surely  be  the  poor  rather  than  the  rich ;  and, 


Bible  Giving,  323 

if  ministers  and  chUrclies  forget  this  or  act  in 
the  opposite  way,  the  lines  of  distinction  al- 
ready naturally  existing  will  be  made  all  the 
more  painfully  manifest.  No  church  should 
"  have  men's  persons  in  admiration  because  of 
advantage,"  and  special  care  should  be  taken 
to  avoid  treating  lightly  "  the  poor  of  this 
world  who  are  rich  in  faith  and  heirs  of  the 
kingdom  which  He  hath  promised  to  them 
that  love  Him." 

The  Apostle  James  in  the  second  chapter  of 
his  Epistle  clearly  has  this  in  view  when  he 
says:  "  My  brethren,  have  not  the  faith  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  respect  of  persons.  For 
if  there  come  into  your  assembly  a  man  with 
a  gold  ring,  in  goodly  apparel,  and  there  come 
in  also  a  poor  man  in  vile  raiment ;  and  ye 
have  respect  unto  him  that  weareth  the  gay 
clothing,  and  say  unto  him,  Sit  thou  here  in  a 
good  place  ;  and  say  to  the  poor,  Stand  thou 
there,  or  sit  here  under  my  footstool."  It  is 
to  be  feared  that  too  often  this  striking  de- 
scription is  fulfilled  to  the  letter  almost  in 
some   of  our   modern  churches,  and  that  the 


324 


The  Path  to    Wealth. 


evil  here  spoken  of  is  due  in  some  measure  at 
least  to  the  system  of  renting  pews.  To  avoid 
any  danger  in  this  respect,  it  is  far  better  to 
have  the  pews  all  free,  with  no  fixed  rental 
and  no  permanent  ownership.  If  class  dis- 
tinctions do  arise,  then  the  churches  by  their 
mode  of  raising  money  will  not  be  to  blame  for 
it.  No  one  will  complain  of  unfair  treatment, 
and  no  excuse  will  be  left  to  any  man  for  not 
attending  religious  services. 

In  the  last  place,  the  pew  rent  system  is 
unequal  or  unfair  in  its  operation.  Accord- 
ing to  this  system  a  certain  sum  of  money  is 
expected  for  a  certain  amount  of  room  in  the 
sanctuary.  Now,  suppose  there  are  two  men 
possessed  of  the  same  means,  and  able  to  pay 
the  same  sum  for  the  support  of  religious  or- 
dinances ;  and  suppose  further,  that  the  one 
has  no  family,  and  the  other  has  a  large  fam- 
ily. The  one  may  need  only  two  sittings,  and 
the  other  six,  or  a  whole  pew,  perhaps.  In  the 
working  out  of  the  pew  rent  S3^stem,  the  one 
is  required  to  pay  only  one-third  the  amount 
of  the  other,  while  they  are  of  equal   financial 


Bible   Giving.  325 

ability.  If  they  should  seek  to  harmonize 
matters  by  each  taking  and  paying  for  four 
sittings,  then  the  man  with  no  family  would 
be  appropriating  room  which  he  did  not  re- 
quire, and  the  man  with  the  large  family 
would  not  have  sufficient  room  for  all  his 
household.  In  my  experience  I  have  often 
found  the  latter  to  be  the  case.  Good  sensi- 
tive people,  who  shrink  from  occupying  any 
more  room  in  church  than  they  can  pay  for, 
where  the  pew  rent  is  in  vogue,  are  compelled 
to  leave  certain  members  of  the  family  at 
home  every  day,  and  the  result  is  irregular 
attendance,  and  all  the  evils  arising  therefrom. 
If  the  seats  on  the  other  hand  are  free,  in 
the  sense  that  whether  a  man  is  able  to  pay  a 
large  or  small  sum,  he  shall  have  enough  room 
for  himself  and  all  his  family,  all  difficulty  on 
this  score  is  avoided.  And  the  rich  man,  too, 
whether  he  need  one  sitting  only  or  a  whole 
pew,  is  then  free  to  give  according  to  his  abil- 
ity ;  and,  in  doing  so,  it  may  be  that  he  will 
give  what  would  be  equal  to  the  rental  of  two 
whole   pews.     In  this  way  equality  and  fair- 


326  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

ness  would  be  secured  to  a  far  greater  extent 
than  is  possible  under  the  ordinary  pew  rent 
plan. 

The  effort  which  some  churches  make  to 
overcome  these  difficulties  by  having,  in  the 
gallery  or  in  some  corner,  certain  seats  marked 
''  free,"  cannot  be  called  a  success.  Nor  does 
it  deserve  to  be  a  success.  No  person  with 
any  independent  spirit,  no  matter  how  poor 
he  may  be,  cares  to  have  his  poverty  declared 
openly,  by  being  put  away  in  the  pews  "  free 
for  the  poor."  It  is  surely  better  far  to  make 
the  room  all  really  free  in  God's  house,  and 
have  all  the  money  needed  raised  by  volun- 
tary offerings.  This  is  now  generally  done  in 
the  case  of  missionary  money,  and  why  not 
adopt  the  same  method  for  the  ordinary  reve- 
nue to  support  religious  ordinances  ?  By  doing 
so  there  is  little  doubt  that  more  money  would 
be  forthcoming,  and  that  people  would  feel 
their  giving  to  be  less  burdensome  because 
properly  equalized  ;  and  above  all  the  people 
would  feel  that  whether  they  gave  much  or 
little  they  were  giving  not  to  a  Church  Board, 


Bible   Giving.  327 

or  for  so  much  sitting  room,  but  for  the  sup- 
port of  religious  ordinances,  and  as  an  offering 
to  God. 

We  cannot  in  the  limits  of  this  paper  pur- 
sue this  very  important  topic  further,  though 
many  other  points  might  be  profitably  consid- 
ered. We  conclude  that  the  pew  rent  system 
should  be  abolished  as  a  means  of  raising 
money  for  the  maintenance  of  Gospel  ordi- 
nances in  the  congregation.  The  reasons  we 
have  adduced  are  amply  sufficient,  we  believe, 
to  show  that  the  system  is  not  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  nor  consistent 
with  the  principles  of  Bible  Giving  as  already 
set  forth.  There  is,  we  believe,  "  a  more  ex- 
cellent way  "  of  raising  the  money  needed. 

In  the  third  place,  we  proceed  to  consider 
the  various  indi7'ect  methods^  by  means  of 
which  money  is  raised  for  religious  purposes. 
In  the  later  ages  of  Christianity  there  has 
grown  up  a  great  system,  which  may  be  called 
the  commercial^  or  quid  pro  quo  system  of 
getting  money  for  Church  purposes.  We  find 
this   system    ready  to   adapt   itself  to  almost 


328  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

any  circumstances,  and  prepared  to  invent 
any  and  every  expedient  by  which  money  may 
be  obtained  from  saint  and  sinner  alike.  The 
devices  of  this  system  are  ingenious,  and  some- 
times quite  sensational.  It  is  to  be  feared 
also,  that  the  methods  by  which  it  works  will 
sometimes  not  bear  careful  scrutiny,  nor  stand 
the  test  of  even  honest  business  transactions. 
It  is  time  the  Christian  Church  was  thoroughly 
aroused  on  this  subject,  and  brought  back  to 
the  Bible  method  of  giving  for  the  cause  of 
religion.  There  are  signs  of  awakening  in 
some  quarters  already,  and  we  trust  that  the 
movement  against  this  system  of  indirect  giv- 
ing may  go  on  until  it  is  banished  from  the 
Christian  Church  entirely. 

To  make  plain  what  we  mean,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  describe  some  of  the  main  forms 
this  system  assumes,  and  then  we  shall  exam- 
ine these  in  the  light  of  the  principles  of  Bible 
Giving  already  unfolded. 

In  describing  some  of  these  indirect  methods 
in  order,  we  may  first  mention  the  bazaar^ 
which   is   usually   regarded    as    a    somewhat 


Bible  Giving,  329 

respectable  institution,  and  even  capable  of 
being  used  in  a  very  proper  way  to  raise  money 
for  religious  objects.  The  bazaar  appears  in 
many  forms  ;  some  very  simple  and  unadorned, 
others  elaborate  and  imposing  in  their  nature. 
The  idea  of  the  bazaar  in  general  is,  that 
there  will  be  made  a  great  variety  of  articles, 
useful  and  ornamental,  and  these  will  be  ex- 
posed for  sale  at  a  certain  time  and  place. 
These  articles  are  usually  in  charge  of  some 
energetic  ladies,  who  seek  to  make  the  best  pos- 
sible sale  of  them,  and  thus  realize  as  much 
money  as  possible  for  the  good  object  in  view. 
To  enumerate  all  the  species  of  the  bazaar 
race,  would  be  out  of  the  question.  We  have 
the  bazaar  in  general,  and  the  special  bazaar. 
The  special  bazaar  may  be  an  apron  bazaar,  a 
necktie  bazaar,  or  a  doll  bazaar.  Along  with 
the  bazaar,  as  a  kind  of  adopted  child,  we 
sometimes  find  the  autograph  quilt,  with  so 
much  charged  for  having  one's  name  put  in 
it,  and  then  the  whole  sold  for  a  handsome 
price.  In  this  way  a  sort  of  double  price  is 
obtained  from  it. 


330  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

Then  we  may  next  mention  the  Soiree^  or 
Tea-meeting.  In  connection  with  it  the  peo- 
ple come  together  to  eat  and  drink,  and  to  be 
entertained  with  music  and  addresses.  Some- 
times the  provisions  are  all  bought  for  the 
meal  provided ;  in  other  cases  the  people  pro- 
vide all  or  nearly  all  the  supplies.  For  days 
before,  there  will  be  baking  and  cooking, 
boiling  and  roasting  to  no  end.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  the  tea-meeting,  the  crowd  will  gather 
from  all  quarters,  and  Jew  and  Gentile  will 
mingle  together,  and  for  a  time  the  sanctuary 
of  the  Lord  is  turned  into  a  place  of  feasting 
and  merriment.  I  need  not  describe  this  in- 
stitution at  length,  for  every  reader  has  had 
opportunity,  no  doubt,  of  beholding  it  in  full 
force  in  his  community.  The  idea  of  the  tea- 
meeting  is  to  raise  money,  and  to  get  a  social 
hour  together;  but  the  financial  element  is 
usually  so  prominent,  that  the  social  is  largely 
overlooked. 

Then  we  have,  next,  the  Church  Social^  or 
Sociable.  This  is  a  kind  of  minor,  or  half- 
grown  tea-meeting.     It  is  sometimes  held  in 


Bible   Giving.  331 

the  house  as  a  parlor  social,  and  it  sometimes 
goes  to  the  church  and  invades  the  sacred 
place  of  worship.  Every  conceivable  kind  of 
refreshment  and  amusement,  and  many  methods 
of  raising  money  are  pressed  into  service. 
Money  is  too  often  obtained  in  very  strange 
ways,  which  need  not  be  here  enumerated. 

Then  the  Concert  and  Lecture^  though  in 
many  respects  much  better  than  the  institu- 
tions already  named,  must  after  all  be  men- 
tioned in  the  same  category,  if  used  to  raise 
money.  Thus,  if  a  church  wishes  to  raise 
money,  it  will  get  some  celebrated  lecturer,  or 
musical  troupe,  and  pay  for  their  service  a 
large  fee  perhaps,  relying  on  the  good  fortune 
which  may  give  them  a  balance,  after  paying 
all  expenses,  to  go  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord's  cause. 

Then,  worst  of  all,  we  have  the  Church  Lot- 
tery. This  worldly  and  wicked  affair  some- 
times puts  on  the  garb  of  religion,  and  endea- 
vors to  pass  itself  off  as  a  proper  method  of 
raising  money  for  the  Lord's  cause.  Along 
with  the  lottery  we  couple  the  cake  and  cane 


332 


The  Path  to   Wealth. 


competitions.  A  fine  cake  is  made ;  two  young 
ladies  are  set  up,  and  votes  at  a  fixed  price 
for  each  are  called  for  and  taken,  as  long  as 
people  are  found  who  are  willing  to  buy  the 


\  \  wf 


CAKE  VOTING. 


votes.  The  cake  then  goes  to  the  lady  who 
has  the  most  votes,  and  the  money  is  dedicated 
to  some  religious  object.  In  the  other  case  a 
handsome  cane  is  procured,  and  two  public 
men,  usually  on  opposite  sides  of  politics,  are 


Bible  Giving.  333 

named,  and  votes  are  taken  at  a  certain  price 
for  each  as  long  as  one  is  found  willing  to  take 
and  pay  for  a  vote.  The  successful  politician 
gets  the  cane,  and  the  church  treasury  is 
swelled  by  the  money  thus  gotten. 

This  very  brief  sketch  will  bring  before 
the  reader  the  general  outline  of  the  indir-ect 
methods  of  raising  money  for  the  purposes  of 
religion.  We  must  now  enquire  whether  these 
methods  are  consistent  with  the  principles  of 
Bible  Giving.  We  are  satisfied  that  a  little 
careful  consideration  will  show  that  all  these 
methods  are  unscriptural  ways  of  raising 
money  to  support  the  ordinances  of  religion, 
and  to  carry  on  the  Lord's  work.  A  few  brief 
remarks  may  suffice  to  show  this. 

In  the  first  place,  they  are  all  ifidirect^  not 
direct  ways  of  giving.  From  the  side  of  the 
giver,  he  may  often  never  give  one  thought  of 
the  object  towards  which  his  money  is  to  go. 
One  buys  his  bazaar  article  perhaps  at  double 
its  real  value,  and  that  ends  the  matter  so  far 
as  he  is  concerned.  Another  gets  his  supper, 
hears  the  music,  or  pays  for  his  vote,  and  goes 


334  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

his  way  with  not  another  thought  of  a  religious 
nature  ever  in  his  mind.  We  maintain  that 
the  principles  of  Bible  Giving  require  us  to 
give  directly  to  the  Lord.  All  our  givings,  to 
have  religious  meaning  so  far  as  the  giver  is 
concerned,  must  be  given  or  dedicated  to  the 
Lord.  They  must  be  gifts  made  intention- 
ally to  Him,  and  we  maintain  that  all  indirect 
methods  of  giving  render  this  almost  im- 
possible. 

On  the  part  of  the  church  receiving  money 
made  in  this  way,  it  may  be  admitted  that  such 
money  will  do  some  good.  If  the  financial 
transaction  was  an  honest  business  one,  and  if 
the  money  obtained  is  dedicated  in  a  proper 
way  by  the  church  getting  it,  that  money  may 
do  good.  But  at  the  same  time,  the  church 
adopting  these  indirect  methods,  even  the  very 
best  of  them,  is  educating  her  own  people  and 
outsiders  in  a  wrong  way  of  supporting  the  in- 
terests of  religion.  Such  being  the  case,  it  is 
far  better  for  the  church  to  abolish  all  such 
methods,  and  seek  to  have  all  giving  direct  in 
its  nature.     Then  the  teaching  effect  on  the 


Bible  Giving.  335 

people  will  be  good,  and  the  offering  can  be 
made  more  readily  as  an  offering  unto  the 
Lord,  to  come  up  as  a  sweet  smelling  savour 
before  Him. 

In  the  second  place,  all  these  methods  are 
inconsistent  with  the  p^eewill  pinnciple^  which 
should  mark  all  offerings  made  for  religious 
purposes.  On  the  part  of  the  person  who 
gives  money  at  a  bazaar,  soiree,  social  or  con- 
cert, it  is  a  'mere  business  transaction.  He 
gives  so  much,  and  gets  so  much  in  return. 
It  is  a  transaction  between  man  and  man,  and 
nothing  more.  Then,  on  the  part  of  the  church 
obtaining  such  money,  the  freewill  element 
cannot  be  present  in  the  same  way  as  if  the 
people  gave  freely  and  spontaneously.  It  may 
even  be  doubted  whether  the  church  is  justi- 
fied in  going  outside  of  her  own  people  to  get 
money  for  religious  purposes.  Some  excellent 
people  are  inclined  to  favor  this  view.  But 
leaving  this  aside,  we  are  convinced  that  the 
freewill  element  in  our  offerings  is  destroyed 
by  these  methods,  and  therefore  they  are  un- 
scriptural  in   their   character.     It  is  said,  of 


336  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

course,  that  money  is  obtained  in  this  way 
which  would  not  be  secured  in  any  other ;  but 
if  the  money  is  drawn  from  the  people  in  any 
indirect  way,  the  Bible  ideal  is  not  reached, 
and  the  offering  can  in  no  sense  be  termed  a 
freewill  offering.  This  is  a  very  important 
point,  and  it  condemns  all  these  modes  of 
getting  money. 

In  the  third  place,  some  of  these  methods  are 
in  themselves  wrongs  and  should  never  be  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  religion  or  the  sanc- 
tuary. In  this  category  we  must  place  all 
kinds  of  church  lottery,  no  matter  how  refined 
and  seemingly  pious  the  method  may  be.  All 
sorts  of  raffle  sales,  where  fancy  prices  are  often 
extorted  by  schemes  nothing  less  than  im- 
moral, are  likewise  to  be  classed  here.  Every 
species  of  cake  and  cane  competition,  where 
money  is  taken  without  scruple,  and  no  proper 
value  given  in  return,  comes  under  condemna- 
tion here. 

In  regard  to  these  and  all  kindred  methods 
we  need  only  say,  that,  if  they  are  wrong  in 
themselves,  then  their  use  to  raise  money  for 


REJECTING  MEAT   OFFERED  TO   IDOLS.      I   COR.  VIII. 


337) 


338  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

church  purposes  must  be  wrong.  To  use  them 
under  the  garb  of  religion  can  never  sanctify 
those  things  which,  in  their  very  nature,  are 
inherently  wrong,  or  essentially  unholy.  It  is 
one  of  the  everlasting  disgraces  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  that  she  will  tolerate  schemes  of 
raising  money  which  the  ordinary  business 
morality  of  the  world  will  utterly  condemn. 
Surely  this  should  be  remedied  without  delay, 
for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  great  harm  has 
been  done  to  the  interests  of  religion  by  the 
very  methods  we  are  now  denouncing.  Let 
every  lover  of  Christ's  cause  seek  to  keep  un- 
sullied the  pure  morality  which  He  inculcates ; 
and  specially  in  all  plans  for  raising  money  in 
support  of  His  cause,  let  every  church  by  her 
plans,  and  every  Christian  by  his  actions, 
keep  up  the  standard  of  the  morality  of  the 
Gospel,  and  of  Christian  conduct. 

In  the  fourth  place,  these  methods  of  indi- 
rect giving  are  in  danger  of  leading  people 
to  think  that  the  end  justifies  the  means.  These 
various  plans,  having  in  view  raising  money 
for  a  good  object,  tend  to  lead  people  to  over- 


Bible   Giving.  339 

look,  or  to  try  to  jiistif}^,  the  means  taken  to 
get  the  money.  Aloney  is  needed,  sometimes 
very  much  needed,  and  the  people  are  nig- 
gardly in  giving,  so  that  some  scheme,  more 
or  less  doubtful  in  its  morality  and  as  novel 
as  possible,  is  set  on  foot  to  secure  the  money. 
If  the  money  comes,  by  fair  means  or  foul, 
people  will  shut  their  e^^es  to  the  real  nature 
of  the  means,  and  rest  satisfied  that,  as  they 
think,  the  end  has  been  secured. 

We  need  not  spend  many  words  in  exposing 
this  vicious  principle,  which,  alike  in  ethics 
and  theology,  has  had  too  often  a  place  and  an 
influence  in  the  councils  of  Christian  people. 
If  a  thing  is  wrong  or  unholy  in  itself,  no  pur- 
pose— good  or  bad — for  which  it  is  used,  can 
make  it  right  or  hol}^  If  the  opposite  were 
true,  then  all  sorts  of  crimes  might  be  justified 
in  the  name  of  religion,  and  even  murder 
might  be  considered  a  divine  service.  In  the 
case  of  these  indirect  methods  of  getting  money 
for  religious  purposes  at  church  fairs  and  in 
other  ways,  there  is  great  danger  that  this 
false  view  of  the  relation  between  means  and 


340  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

end,  which  we  now  condemn,  is  put  W^ore  the 
minds  of  the  people.  This  danger  constitutes  a 
strong  objection  to  them  all. 

In  the  fifth  place,  these  methods  tend  to  check 
the  free  and  spontaneous  liberality  of  the  people. 
If  money  is  needed  for  any  religious  object, 
instead  of  giving  the  sum  directly,  the  people 
say,  Come  now,  let  us  get  up  a  church  fair,  a 
bazaar,  or  a  tea-meeting,  or  something  else  ! 
Let  us  get  all  the  money  we  can,  even  from 
people  outside  the  church  !  Let  us  do  some- 
thing that  will  draw  the  crowds,  and  enable  us 
to  draw  their  money !  Let  us  also  take  good 
care  that  our  own  purses  do  not  suffer !  If  we 
can  get  all  we  need  from  other  sources,  we 
may  just  as  well  save  our  own  money  for  some 
other  purpose !  Who  has  not  heard  talk  like 
this  ? 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  result  of  this  is  to 
dry  up  the  springs  of  liberality  in  the  people 
themselves ;  and  the  longer  this  is  allowed  to 
go  on,  the  less  liberal  people  will  become,  until 
we  find  the  meanest  people  in  the  world  in  the 
Church,  which  surely  is  the  last  place  on  earth 


Bible  Giving,  341 

to  look  for  the  meanest  man.  Many  a  church 
is  suffering  to-day  on  account  of  this  very 
thing,  and  it  often  takes  many  years,  and 
much  earnest  teaching,  to  again  develop  the 
spirit  of  spontaneous  Christian  liberality,  and 
turn  its  streams  into  the  proper  channels.  If 
we  would  guard  against  these  evil  conse- 
quences, let  us  away  with  all  these  indirect 
ways  of  raising  money,  and  let  us  seek  to  cul- 
tivate, in  ourselves  and  others,  the  spirit  of 
hearty  and  cheerful  giving  directly  unto  the 
Lord,  and  to  the  support  of  religious  ordi- 
nances and  mission  work. 

In  the  last  place,  it  may  be  seriously  doubted 
whether,  after  all,  these  methods  are  really  the 
cheapest  in  the  end.  Take  a  church  fair  or  a 
bazaar,  and  count  carefully  the  material  used, 
the  work  put  on  that  material,  and  the  time 
occupied  in  connection  with  the  making  and 
sale  of  the  various  articles  prepared  for  sale,  and 
I  doubt  very  much  if  the  amount  would  not  be 
more  than  is  actually  realized  from  their  actual 
sale.  In  like  manner,  let  the  cost  of  the  pro- 
visions prepared  for  a  tea-meeting,  together  with 


342  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

all  the  various  items  of  time  and  expense,  be 
reckoned  up,  and  I  venture  to  think  that  in  most 
cases  it  would  have  been  cheaper  to  have  given 
the  money  directly  to  the  good  cause  at  first.  It 
does  seem  a  curious  thing  to  do,  for  people  first 
to  give  the  provisions,  and  then  go  some  dis- 
tance to  God's  house  and  there  pay  to  eat  it. 
Better,  surely,  to  eat  the  provisions  at  home, 
and  give  the  money  without  further  trouble  to 
the  Lord's  cause. 

If  people  wish  to  give  the  result  of  their 
work,  or  anything  else,  to  the  Lord  for  re- 
ligious purposes,  it  is  far  best  to  convert  that 
result  into  money,  and  give  that  money  for 
the  good  object  in  view,  whatever  it  may  be. 
Let  people  make  the  articles  they  prepare  for 
the  church  fair  or  bazaar,  and  sell  them  at  the 
market  price  in  a  purely  business  way.  The 
money  thus  obtained  would  then  be  the  prop- 
erty of  those  who  sold  the  articles,  and  could 
be  given  as  their  property  freely,  directly  and 
unreservedly  to  the  support  of  any  good  cause. 
This  would  also  secure  the  very  desirable  re- 
sult that  buying  and  selling,  eating  and  drink- 


Bible   Giving,  343 

ing,  would  not  be  carried  on  in  or  about  the 
sanctuary,  and  all  danger  of  our  deserving  the 
treatment  which  Christ  meted  out  to  the  money 
changers  and  dove  sellers  in  the  Temple  will 
then  be  averted. 

Every  one  who  has  a  tender  regard  towards 
the  place  of  worship,  where  God  has  put  His 
name  and  has  promised  to  meet  with  His 
people,  will  surely  lend  a  helping  hand  to  bring 
about  this  condition  of  affairs  ;  and  all  who 
cherish  a  spirit  of  sincere  reverence  towards 
the  place  where  their  minds  are  occupied  with 
holy  thoughts,  and  their  hearts  stirred  with 
devout  emotions,  will  do  all  in  their  power  to 
remove  everything  which  is  not  in  keeping 
with  the  proper  sanctity  of  that  place. 

It  only  remains  to  be  added,  that  in  all  I 
have  said,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
saying  a  single  word  against  the  careful  de- 
velopment of  the  social  element  in  connection 
with  our  church  life  and  work.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  there  is  often  a  lack  of  this  in 
many  congregations.  Strangers  are  not  made 
to  feel  at  home,  no  great  interest  is  taken  in 


344  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

those  who  are  in  trouble,  and  the  stream  of 
warm  Christian  sympathy  is  not  allowed  to 
flow  freely  in  its  rightful  channels.  Religion 
has  perhaps  suffered  not  a  little  from  the  cold- 
ness and  indifference  of  its  professors. 

To  secure  this  social  and  friendly  inter- 
course, and  to  give  the  members  of  a  congre- 
gation an  opportunity  of  getting  acquainted 
with  each  other — and  particularly  with  new 
comers — a  pleasant  gathering  at  the  church, 
and  in  the  lecture  room  there,  held  from  time 
to  time,  is  of  the  utmost  importance  and  value. 
At  such  meetings  a  little  light  refreshment 
might  be  served,  and  the  meeting  given  almost 
entirely  to  making  acquaintanceships,  and  in- 
terchange of  friendly  Christian  feeling.  This 
can  be  secured  far  best  when  not  a  word  is 
said  about  money,  and  when  it  is  no  part  of 
the  object  of  the  meeting  to  raise  money.  The 
effort  to  combine  the  two  things — social  inter- 
course and  money  raising — is  usually  a  failure, 
so  far  at  least  as  the  members  of  the  congre- 
gation are  concerned.  Let  the  money  required 
for  church  purposes   be  given  in  accordance 


Bible   Giving.  '        34  r 

with  the  principles  of   Bible    Giving  already 

obtained  from  Scripture,  and  let  care  be  taken 

to  develop  the  warm  sympathetic  social  life  of 

the  congregation,  and  we  venture  to  say  that 

a  far  healthier  state  of  matters  will  soon  exist 

in  regard  to  everything  pertaining  to  religion 

and  philanthropy. 
23 


CHAPTER  II. 
Bible  Giving:  Its  Rule. 

I  NOW  come  to  the  second  part  of  the  dis- 
cussion, in  which,  at  no  great  length,  I  shall 
make  an  attempt  to  unfold  the  Rule^  according 
to  which  our  giving  to  religious  and  other  kin- 
dred objects  should  be  regulated.  This  is  a 
very  necessary  thing  to  have  settled ;  for  a  per- 
son may  have  a  very  clear  knowledge  of  the 
Nature  of  Christian  Giving,  and  be  possessed 
with  an  earnest  desire  to  do  what  was  right 
in  regard  thereto ;  and  yet,  if  ignorant  of  the 
Rule  by  which  his  giving  should  be  regulated, 
he  will  be  at  a  loss  to  know  when  he  has 
really  discharged  his  duty  properly  in  this 
matter.  In  a  few  brief  pages  we  now  endeavor 
to  give  some  directions  on  this  point. 

And  here,  as  in  the  former  case,  I  shall  take 
the  reader  to  the  Bible,  and  try  to  gather  its 
general  teaching  on  the  subject  of  the  Rule  of 
Bible  Giving.     Much  of  our  giving  is  in  the 

(347) 


348  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

dark,  and  often  good  people  give  without  any 
kind  of  rule  or  system  to  guide  them.  They 
are  often  moved  by  circumstances  rather  than 
by  intelligence,  and  sometimes  they  are  af- 
fected by  personal  considerations  rather  than 
by  the  teaching  of  God's  Word.  The  result 
is,  that  the  real  giving  power  of  God's  people 
is  never  brought  out,  and  the  burden  too  often 
falls  on  the  few,  instead  of  being  distributed 
over  the  many. 

Many  questions  arise  in  connection  with 
this  subject,  but  we  can  only  take  up  the 
three  main  ones.  These  are :  First,  how  much 
should  be  given — what  proportion  of  our  in- 
come ?  Secondly,  where  should  we  give — at 
any  particular  place  ?  Thirdly,  when  should 
we  give — at  any  definite  time  ?  To  these  three 
questions  we  now  turn  the  attention  of  the 
reader,  and  we  will  consider  each  in  a  separate 
section. 


Bible  Giving,  349 

SECTION  I. 
The  Rule  of  Giving  :    Hoiu  Much  ? 

From  a  practical  point  of  view,  this  is  one 
of  the  most  important  questions  which  come 
before  us  in  this  paper.  The  giving  power  of 
the  Christian  Church  has  never  yet  been  at 
all  fully  developed,  and  much  of  the  giving  is 
very  unintelligent  and  desultory.  At  the  same 
time  there  are  some  good  men  who  are  giving 
largely  to  the  Lord's  cause,  and  yet  the  total 
result  is  very  meagre  indeed,  when  we  reckon 
what  it  is  per  head,  even  of  professing  Chris- 
tians. Sometimes  only  a  dollar  or  two  is  given 
for  the  support  of  religion  at  home,  and  merely 
a  few  cents  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen. 
For  one  dollar  spent  on  religion,  we  often  find 
even  Christian  people  spending  ten  on  selfish 
indulgence. 

We  are  satisfied  that  if  the  rule  and  system 
could  be  fully  introduced  into  the  mode  of 
our  Christian  giving,  much  more  money  would 
be  raised,  and  no  one  would  feel  that  he  was 


350  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

more  burdened,  than  under  the  existing  con- 
dition of  things.  One  great  need  of  the  Church 
is  greater  system  in  the  method  of  her  liber- 
ality. The  general  spirit  of  the  Christian 
community  may  be  in  a  measure  alive  to  the 
importance  of  the  grace  of  liberality ;  yet, 
either  through  imperfect  information  as  to 
the  need,  or  through  defective  plan  in  regard 
to  the  way  of  opening  up  the  channel  for  this 
liberality  to  flow  freely,  this  spirit  does  not 
manifest  itself  as  it  otherwise  might.  What  is 
needed,  therefore,  is  the  diffusion  of  informa- 
tion regarding  the  spiritual  need  of  the  world, 
and  a  good  system  or  definite  rule  for  getting 
the  money  required  for  religious  purposes. 

In  setting  forth  a  few  things  on  the  rule  of 
Christian  Giving,  there  are  two  points  which 
call  for  special  attention.  The  first  relates  to 
the  propriety  of  all  giving  proportionately 
according  as  the  Lord  sends  worldly  pros- 
perity. The  second  refers  to  the  precise  pro- 
portion of  income  which  should  be  given,  and 
raises  the  important  topic  of  tithing^  or  giving 
at  least  one-tenth  of  our  income. 


Bible  Giving.  351 

In  regard  to  the  first  of  these  points,  only 
a  few  brief  remarks  may  be  made.  One  of 
the  great  weaknesses  in  our  Christian  liber- 
ality meets  us  here.  In  almost  every  congre- 
gation we  find  that  a  comparatively  small 
number  give  the  larger  part  of  the  money 
which  is  contributed  for  religious  purposes. 
This  is  specially  true  of  what  is  given  to  the 
support  of  missions  at  home  and  abroad. 
Take  almost  any  subscription  list  to  missions, 
and  you  will  find  that  perhaps  one-tenth  of 
the  contributors  give  over  one-half  of  the 
amount  given,  while  perhaps  one-half  of  the 
contributors  give  so  little  that  it  is  not  worth 
while  taking  it  into  account,  when  their  means 
and  ability  are  considered. 

And  it  is  not  always  the  richest  that  give 
the  most.  Sometimes,  in  some  places  often, 
we  find  those  who  are  in  the  medium  circum- 
stances of  life  giving  the  highest  average, 
while  in  not  a  few  cases  the  working  man 
gives  far  more  than  his  wealthy  employer,  in 
proportion  to  their  respective  abilities.  The 
introduction  of  some  good  system,  by  means 


352 


The  Path  to   Wealth, 


of  whicli  the  stream  of  voluntary  liberality 
might  have  opportunity  to  flow  in  from  every 
source,  large  and  small,  in  the  Christian  com- 
munity, would  be  a  great  boon. 

The  second,  and  main  point  of  which  we 
wish  to  speak  here,  when  dealing  with  this 
phase  of  the  rule  of  Christian  Giving,  is  the 
Tithing  System.  The  adoption  of  this  system 
would  do  a  great  deal,  we  believe,  to  remedy 
the  evils  just  alluded  to,  and  it  is  surely 
worthy  of  serious  consideration  by  Christians 
who  sincerel}^  desire  to  do  what  is  right  in  the 
matter  of  liberality. 

This  system  is  often  alluded  to  in  the  Bible; 
and,  in  so  far  as  any  definite  rule  is  laid  down 
in  Scripture,  in  regard  to  the  proportion  to  be 
given  to  religious  objects,  is  concerned,  we  have 
this  in  the  tithe.  It  has,  therefore,  general 
scriptural  authority ;  and,  if  not  absolutely 
binding  as  a  positive  law,  it  is  of  great  use  in 
giving  to  each  individual  Christian  conscience 
the  proper  rule  to  follow.  The  fact  that  it  is 
enjoined  in  the  Old  Testament  and  not  re- 
pealed in  the  New,  is  also  of  significance,  and 


Bible  Giving.  353 

the  titliing  system,  which  consists  in  giving 
the  tenth  of  onr  income  to  the  Lord,  should 
not  be  lightly  set  aside,  as  in  no  way  related  to 
the  duty  of  a  man,  in  regard  to  giving  under 
the  Christian  dispensation. 

It  is  worthy  of  special  remark,  for  we  can- 
not speak  at  length  of  this  subject,  that  the 
giving  of  a  tenth  in  connection  with  the  insti- 
tutions of  religion  is  a  custom  much  older 
than  the  Mosaic  Law.  It  comes  before  us  in 
the  days  of  Abraham,  when  Melchizedek  of- 
fered him  tithes  of  all  the  spoil.  From  the 
way  in  which  this  is  spoken  of,  it  seems  to 
have  been  a  custom  well  understood  at  that 
time.  When  the  Law  was  given  by  Moses, 
this  tithing  system  was  incorporated  with  the 
Mosaic  Code,  and  given  a  larger  scope  therein. 
Then,  during  the  history  of  the  Jews,  down 
even  to  the  days  of  Malachi,  when  they  de- 
clined in  their  religious  life,  one  of  the  things 
which  they  were  condemned  for  neglecting 
was  the  giving  of  tithes  to  the  Lord.  In  the 
New  Testament,  when  the  Apostle  is  enjoin- 
ing systematic  giving,  it  seems  reasonable  to 


354  T^^^  Path  to   Wealth. 

suppose  that  the  people  were  so  familiar  with 
this  rule,  that  there  was  no  need  of  such  spe- 
cial reference  to  it  as  we  would  naturally  ex- 
pect there  would  be,  if  it  were  an  entirely  new 
thing  in  the  Christian  Church. 

We  also  find  hints  of  the  same  rule  of  giving 
in  the  religious  customs  of  heathen  nations. 
Amongst  the  Arabians  and  early  Phoenicians 
this  custom  prevailed.  The  rule  amongst  the 
Egyptians  was  one-fifth,  or  a  double  tithe. 
How  are  we  to  regard  these  customs  ?  It 
seems  at  least  reasonable  to  suppose  that  these 
heathen  customs  have  come  down  from  early 
times,  when,  perhaps  as  the  result  of  a  very 
early  revelation,  God  made  this  rule  known  to 
men.  They  are  thus  the  shadows  of  a  great 
reality,  or  the  echoes,  as  the  sacrifices  are,  of 
a  very  early  voice,  which  spoke  from  heaven 
a  great  fact,  and  found  in  man's  need  a  ready 
response  thereto. 

These  two  considerations,  one  from  Scrip- 
ture and  the  other  from  the  pagan  religions, 
justify  us,  we  believe,  in  putting  the  tithing 
requirement    on   the   grounds   of  natural,    a3 


Bible   Giving,  355 

distinct  from  positive  religion.  By  this  is 
meant,  that  the  giving  of  the  tenth  of  one's 
income  is  a  duty  which  springs  out  of  the 
very  relation  which  exists,  in  the  nature  of 
the  case,  between  God  as  Creator,  and  man  as 
creature.  If  this  be  so,  the  tithe  is  really  in- 
dependent of,  and  antecedent  to,  the  Mosaic 
Law,  and  is  binding  universally  upon  men, 
and  thus  the  Christian  is  living  under  this 
rule.  It  must  be  his  duty,  therefore,  to  con- 
form his  voluntary  giving  to  this  rule,  and  in 
all  his  freewill  offerings  he  should  never  for- 
get that  the  tenth  is  the  minimum  which  it  is 
to  be  expected  that  he  should  give. 

Of  course  we  do  not  advocate  the  tithe  as 
a  tax,  which  the  State  may  levy  as  a  rate 
upon  the  people  for  religious  purposes,  in  the 
same  way  as  our  municipal  and  other  direct 
taxes  are  levied  upon  us.  This  would  be  in- 
consistent with  the  principles  of  Bible  Giving 
as  already  laid  down,  and  would  be  sure  to 
lead  to  confusion  and  difficulty.  We  simply 
present  it  as  the  rule  by  which  the  liberality 
of  the  Christian  may  be  intelligently  directed. 


356  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

It  means  that  a  man  with  an  income  of  one 
thousand  dollars  shall  pay  one  hundred  for 
the  support  of  religion.  It  means  that  a  con- 
gregation of  one  hundred  and  fifty  families, 
with  an  average  income  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars each,  and  having  thus  an  aggregate  in- 
come of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  would 
give  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to 
the  Lord's  cause.  How  many  come  up  to  this 
proportion,  I  wonder  ?  and  yet  this  is  only  the 
minimum  of  what  I  believe  we  should  give. 

The  benefits  arising  from  the  adoption  of 
the  tithing  system  are  very  many,  but  we 
have  not  time  to  set  them  forth  at  length. 
We  may  merely  mention  some  which,  I  trust, 
will  commend  this  rule  of  giving  to  the  earnest 
and  prayerful  consideration  of  the  reader. 

In  the  first  place,  it  would  secure  system  in 
our  giving.  The  poor  man,  with  his  limited 
income,  would  give  his  tenth ;  and  the  rich 
man,  with  his  large  income,  will  give  his  also. 

In  the  second  place,  the  giver  will  be  able  to 
act  intelligently  in  snaking  his  offerings.  He 
will  know  what  he  ought  to  give,  and  will  not 


Bible  Giving.  357 

be  troubled  debating  the  subject  of  the  amount 
he  should  give  every  time  he  makes  a  contri- 
bution. 

In  the  third  place,  it  will  put  at  our  dis- 
posal such  an  increased  sum  of  money ^  that  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord^s  cause  will  be  much  better 
filled  than  it  now  is.  I  am  sure  I  am  quite 
within  the  mark  when  I  say  that  the  amount 
would  be  more  than  doubled.  Our  religious 
institutions  would  be  much  better  supported 
at  home,  and  we  could  do  far  more  in  mission 
work.  The  tithe  would  revolutionize  matters 
in  this  connection. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  experience  of  those 
who  have  tried  it  is  that  it  is  a  blessing.  To 
scores  of  testimonies  that  might  be  quoted  here, 
I  can  add  my  own,  to  the  effect  that  ever  since 
I  adopted  this  rule  of  giving,  my  income  has 
increased.  Surely  it  is  true  in  this  connection, 
that  "  there  is  which  scattereth  and  yet  in- 
creaseth.'^  Never  has  one  confessed  that  his 
temporal  affairs  were  injured  by  adopting  the 
tithing  system  as  the  Christian  rule. 

In  the  last  place,  the  experience  of  those 


358  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

who  give  the  tenth  is  that  they  are  benefited 
spiritually^  a^id  enjoy  giving  as  they  never  did 
before.  This  is  one  of  the  best  tests  of  its  ex- 
cellence. Anything  which  advances  our  spir- 
itual interests  is  surely,  by  that  very  fact, 
stamped  as  having  divine  approval  and  sanc- 
tion. We  do,  therefore,  put  in  a  strong  plea 
for  the  tithing  system,  and  will  rejoice  to  see 
many  of  God's  people  adopting  it. 

SECTION   II. 

1  he  Rule  of  Giving :      Where? 

This  question  need  not  detain  us  very  long, 
yet  it  is  worthy  of  serious  consideration.  The 
answer  to  this  question  will  in  a  measure  de- 
termine what  the  nature  of  the  act  of  giving 
really  is,  while  a  proper  understanding  of  the 
nature  of  giving  for  religious  purposes  will 
help  us  to  understand  the  proper  place  to  make 
our  offering.  Is  giving  for  such  purposes  a 
religious  act  ?  Is  it  an  act  of  worship  ?  If  it 
be,  then  the  proper  place  to  perform  that  act  is 
in  connection  with  the  services  of  God's  house, 


Bible  Giving,  359 

and  we  should  regard  it  as  an  act  of  worship. 
The  paying  of  pew  rent  as  a  kind  of  business 
transaction  during  the  week,  or  even  the  giving 
of  missionary  money  to  collectors,  effective  as 
this  latter  plan  may  be,  does  not  lift  up  our 
giving  to  its  proper  place  as  an  act  of  worship. 
It  is  evident,  also,  that  all  the  various  methods 
of  indirect  giving,  such  as  church  fairs  and 
similar  institutions  involve,  can  scarcely,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case,  be  made  acts  of  worship, 
and  hence  these  stand  condemned  on  this 
ground,  as  well  as  on  the  other  grounds  al- 
ready mentioned. 

Brief  reference  to  the  Mosaic  Law  confirms 
the  opinion  that  our  giving  for  religious  pur- 
poses is  an  act  of  worship.  This  is  involved 
in  the  general  fact,  that  all  gifts  made  by  the 
Jews  were  to  be  laid  down  by  the  altar  and 
consecrated  to  God.  The  altar  was  the  way 
to  God  for  sinful  man  to  present  himself  and 
his  gifts  unto  God,  and  it  was  thus  the  cen- 
tral point  for  worship.  All  offerings  made 
there  were  sacred,  and  the  act  involved  in 
presenting  the  gifts  was  an  act  of  worship. 


360  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

In  later  times  among  the  Jews,  we  find  the 
Temple  the  great  centre  round  which  the 
worship  of  the  people  was  gathered,  and  all 
the  gifts  for  religious  and  benevolent  pur- 
poses were  to  be  brought  to  the  Temple,  and 
dedicated  to  the  Lord  there.  What  was  given 
for  the  support  of  the  priests  was  brought 
there,  and  consecrated  to  the  Lord  first  of  all. 
This  gives  the  hint  that  what  is  given  for  the 
support  of  the  Gospel  ministry  should  be  re- 
garded as  a  gift  to  God,  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  permanent  institutions  of  religion.  Even 
what  was  given  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and 
needy  was  also  brought  to  the  temple,  and 
given  to  the  Lord,  as  it  were,  for  the  purposes 
of  benevolence.  This  gives  us  the  hint  that 
charity  is  also  a  religious  act,  and  should  be 
so  regarded  in  relation  to  the  Lord's  deserving 
poor. 

In  the  New  Testament,  we  find  collections 
of  various  kinds  spoken  of,  and  you  will  ob- 
serve that  they  all  have  close  connection  with 
religion  and  the  place  of  worship.  In  the 
opening  verses  of  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  I 


Bible   Giving. 


361 


Corinthians,  we  read :  "  Now  concerning  the 
collection  for  the  saints,  as  I  have  given  order 
to  the  churches  of  Galatia,  even  so  do  ye. 
Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one 
of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  has  pros- 


ST.    PAUL  WRITING. 


pered  him,  that  there  be  no  gathering  when 

I  come.     And  when  I  am  come,  whomsoever 

ye  shall  approve  by  your  letters,  them  will  I 

send  to  bring  your  liberality  to  Jerusalem." 

In  this  passage  it  is  clear  that  the  offerings 
24 


362  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

were  to  be  made  on  the  Christian  Sabbath, 
here  called  the  first  day  of  the  week.  It  is 
altogether  likely  that,  as  the  early  Christians 
met  for  worship  and  religious  edification  that 
day,  the  offerings  would  be  made  in  connec- 
tion with  these  services.  It  is  also  hinted 
that  the  matter  of  giving  should  be  attended 
to  with  careful  forethought,  and  not  left  to 
mere  chance,  nor  to  the  hurried  subscription 
list. 

From  these  considerations  it  follows  that 
the  proper  place  to  make  all  offerings  for  the 
purposes  of  religion  is  the  sanctuary,  and  at  a 
religious  service.  Here,  not  at  some  man's 
of&ce  or  house,  should  all  that  is  needed  to  pay 
the  minister's  salary  and  to  provide  for  the 
running  expenses  oY  the  church  and  Sabbath 
school  be  given.  Here,  rather  than  by  mis- 
sionary collectors,  should  all  money  given  for 
missions  be  contributed.  In  this  way,  we  are 
satisfied  our  giving  would  be  looked  upon,  not 
simply  as  a  mere  business  transaction,  but 
would  be  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship.  The 
exercise  of  the  grace  of  liberality  in  this  way 


Bible  Giving.  363 

would  be  a  far  nobler  and  more  spiritual  act 
than  it  is  often  considered  to  be,  and  in  pro- 
portion as  it  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship 
will  our  suitable  feelings  be  expressed  by  that 
act,  and  in  turn  we  will  find  benefit  and  derive 
pleasure  from  our  giving  to  every  religious  ob- 
ject. It  is  important  that  congregations,  by 
the  methods  they  adopt  for  raising  their  money 
for  various  purposes,  should  keep  in  view  the 
great  truth  we  are  now  setting  forth.  In  no 
case  should  they  do  anything  to  encourage  the 
merely  commercial  spirit  in  the  method  in 
which  the  contributions  are  made.  But  we 
cannot  dwell  longer  on  this  practical  topic,  and 
would  close  by  commending  it  to  the  careful 
and  prayerful  consideration  of  the  Christian 
community. 

SECTION  III. 

The  Rule  of  Giving :    When  f 

The  only  question  which  now  remains  is  as 
to  the  time  at  which,  and  frequency  with  which, 
the  offerings  should  be  made.     From  the  gen- 


364  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

eral  references  to  the  offering  of  gifts  in  the 
Old  Testament,  it  would  appear  that  no  re- 
ligious service  was  unaccompanied  with  offer- 
ings of  some  kind.  The  Jewish  ritual  clearly 
involved  this.  In  the  Book  of  Psalms  we  find 
it  written  more  than  once :  ^' Bring  an  offering, 
and  come  into  His  courts."  Such  passages 
clearly  imply  that,  when  the  people  came  on 
the  Sabbath,  at  the  annual  feasts  and  at 
other  sacred  times,  they  Avere  to  come  with  de- 
votion in  their  hearts  and  an  offering  in  their 
hands. 

In  like  manner,  in  the  New  Testament,  the 
passage  already  quoted  in  the  preceding  sec- 
tion exhorts  Christian  people  to  make  their 
offerings  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  is 
the  Lord's  day  or  the  Christian  Sabbath.  The 
inference,  further,  is  that  this  should  be  done 
every  Lord's  day,  and  at  all  religious  services, 
and  that  everything  so  given  should  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  Lord  in  this  way.  Whether  it  be 
money  to  build  a  church,  pay  the  pastor,  or 
support  colleges  and  missionaries,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  it  should  all  be  made  as  a  volun- 


Bible  Giving.  365 

tary  offering  at  the  sanctuary,  and  consecrated 
to  the  Lord  thereby. 

What  emerges  in  this  connection,  as  the 
reader  may  already  perceive,  is  the  system  of 
Weekly  Offerings.  By  this  system  we  believe 
the  spirit  of  Christian  liberality  can  be  best 
fostered,  and  the  Bible  Rule  of  giving  will  be 
best  followed.  Equality  and  system  will  be 
secured  in  the  givings  of  the  people,  and  they 
in  turn  will  feel  the  amount  to  be  less  and 
more  easily  given  than  under  any  system  yet 
adopted.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  all  our 
giving  for  the  support  of  Christ's  cause  at 
home  and  abroad  should  be  given  in  weekly 
instalments,  and  at  the  public  services  of  the 
sanctuary. 

I  need  not  enter  into  a  discussion  as  to  the 
details  of  working  out  this  system.  It  abolishes 
pew  rents  and  makes  all  offerings  purely  free- 
will in  their  nature.  If  one  man  can  give 
twenty  cents  a  week,  and  needs  five  sittings  in 
church,  let  this  be  his  portion  ;  if  another  can 
give  a  dollar  a  week,  and  needs  but  three  sit- 
tingSj  let  that  be  the  arrangement   for  him. 


366  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

And  in  regard  to  missions,  let  each  one  reckon 
carefully  what  he  can  give  per  week,  and  let 
this  be  laid  aside  and  given  every  week,  and 
the  result  at  the  end  of  the  year  will  be  an 
astonishment  to  everybody. 


THE  ENVELOPE  SYSTEM. 


The  use  of  envelopes,  one  set  for  ordinary 
purposes  and  another  for  missionary  money, 
makes  the  system  simple  and  easily  worked, 
and  the  uniform  experience  of  those  who  have 
tried  this  plan  is  that  it  is  far  the  best  from 
every  point  of  view.     Even  if  there  were  no 


Bible   Giving,  367 

such  Scripture  as  there  is  in  its  favor,  we  are 
sure  that  expediency  would  indicate  that  this 
is  the  best  method  of  raising  money.  I  am 
aware  that  there  are  prejudices  against  it  in 
certain  quarters,  yet  I  am  sure  that,  when  it  is 
universally  adopted  by  the  churches,  a  great 
advance  will  be  made  in  the  matter  of  Chris- 
tian liberality.  My  space  only  permits  me  to 
commend  the  envelope  or  weekly  offering  sys- 
tem to  the  earnest  consideration  of  Christian 
people.  If  rightly  managed,  I  am  satisfied 
from  experience  that  it  will  commend  itself 
wherever  adopted. 

Conclusion. 

We  need  only  add  a  line  or  two  in  conclu- 
sion. We  have  tried  to  set  forth  the  teaching 
of  Scripture  in  regard  to  the  important  duty  and 
privilege  of  giving  of  our  means  to  the  Lord 
for  the  support  of  His  cause.  We  have  en- 
titled this  paper  "  Bible  Giving,"  and  have 
dealt  with  its  essential  nature^  and  have  un- 
folded its  proper  rule. 

In   regard  to  its  nature,  we  have  found  in 


368  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

Old  Testament  and  "New  five  important  prin- 
ciples. These  are  the  following:  ownership  of 
our  gifts,  dedication  to  God  in  the  act  of  giv- 
ing, freewill  in  the  spirit  in  which  we  give, 
first-fruits  in  regard  to  that  which  is  given, 
and  representation  in  regard  to  the  real  mean- 
ing of  the  gift.  In  the  application  of  these 
principles  to  several  modem  customs  in  regard 
to  giving  to  the  Lord's  cause,  we  dealt  with 
church  debts,  the  pew  rent  system,  and  the 
various  methods  of  indirect  giving.  It  was 
seen  that  church  debts  are  a  very  bad  thing, 
that  pew  rents  should  be  abolished,  and  that 
all  indirect  methods  of  raising  money  should 
be  given  up.  All  giving  should  be  a  freewill 
offering,  made  of  our  best  gifts  to  the  Lord,  as 
an  expression  of  our  devout  feelings  towards 
Him  and  His  cause. 

In  the  second  part  of  the  paper  we  treated  of 
the  Rule  of  Bible  giving,  and  took  up  three 
points  in  regard  to  it.  First,  the  amount  to  be 
given ;  secondly,  the  place  where  the  gift  should 
be  made ;  and,  thirdly,  the  tiyne  when  the  oflfer- 
ings  should  be  presented.     In  reply  to  the  first 


MISS  ANC.KLA  GKOKGINA  BURDETT  CUUTTS. 
A  Christiau  lady,  who  inherited  a  fortune  of  between  two  and 
three  million  pounds  sterling.  She  has  spent  this  enormous  sum 
in  works  of  charity,  and  for  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
and  is  the  founder  and  supporter  of  several  diocesan  missions. 
She  was  born  in  Kngland  in  1814,  and  is  still  living. 

(369) 


370  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

question,  we  set  forth  the  tithing  system  as  the 
rule  for  the  amount ;  in  answer  to  the  second, 
we  unfolded  the  idea  that  giving  should  be  an 
act  of  worship  performed  at  God's  house ;  and 
in  response  to  the  third,  we  advocated  the 
weekly  offering  system  as  the  best  and  most 
scriptural  rule  in  this  regard. 

In  closing  the  paper,  we  would  remind  our- 
selves that  all  power  and  blessing  in  Christian 
work  and  liberality  is  from  the  Lord.  We 
may  have  our  plans  and  machinery  perfect, 
and  yet  if  God's  Spirit  does  not  rest  on  these 
in  answer  to  our  earnest  prayers,  little  will  be 
done.  As  in  the  storming  of  a  fortress,  the 
assailants  may  have  the  munitions  of  war  all 
ready.  The  cannon  may  be  there,  the  powder 
may  be  in  its  place,  and  the  shot  and  shell 
also ;  but,  unless  the  match  be  touched,  there 
will  be  no  damage  done  to  the  fortress.  But 
let  the  match  be  set  to  the  powder,  then  there 
is  the  flash,  the  crash,  the  dismantled  fortress, 
and  the  victorious  army.  So  in  the  conflict 
with  the  evil  which  abounds  in  the  world.  We 
may  have  all  our  church  machinery  in  excel- 


Bible  Giving,  yji. 

lent  order  and  well  arranged,  but  unless  God's 
power  rests  on  these  there  will  be  no  real  bless- 
ing. We  may  even  have  all  our  plans  and 
arrangements  about  giving  in  the  best  possible 
order,  and  yet,  unless  God's  Spirit — as  with  a 
live  coal  from  the  altar  above — touches  the 
whole,  there  will  be  no  real  headway  made 
against  evil  in  the  world.  We  must  never  for- 
get, that  it  is  not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  that  we  can  do  His 
work  and  gain  the  victory  in  the  end. 


BY 

REV.  R.    W.    WOODSWORTH. 


(373) 


THE  PROPERTY  TRUST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Out  of  the  free  and  abundant  gifts  of  God 
to  us  arise  obligations  on  our  part  of  the  most 
sacred  and  imperative  character.  Christ  has 
redeemed  us  with  His  own  blood,  therefore  we 
are  under  infinite  obligations  to  serve  Him 
with  heart,  and  head,  and  life,  and  means. 
Freely  we  have  received,  therefore,  if  we 
would  avoid  being  guilty  of  the  basest  ingrat- 
itude, freely  we  must  give.  "  The  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  me,"  was  the  lofty  senti- 
ment, and  undying  impulse  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  in  all  his  heroic,  self-denying  toil ;  and 
the  same  mighty  motive  should  actuate  us  in 
every  work  we  perform,  and  in  every  sacrifice 
we  make  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  Holy  Scrip- 
tures furnish  clear  and  ample  instruction  for 
our  guidance,  in  the  management  of  the  prop- 

(375) 


376  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

erty  trust  as  the  responsible  stewards  of 
God.  We  need  therefore  experience  neither 
confusion  nor  perplexity  in  answering  the 
question,  "  What  should  be  the  extent  of  our 
giving  to  the  cause  of  God  ?  "  The  Jewish 
law  of  tithe  or  tenth,  together  with  ancient 
examples  of  freewill  offerings,  throws  a  great 
deal  of  light  on  the  subject  of  systematic 
beneficence. 

The  "tenth"  principle  is  one  of  very  ancient 
obligation.  It  was  adopted  by  the  patriarch 
Abraham,  and,  later  on,  by  his  grandson  Jacob; 
it  was  enjoined  on  Israel  by  formal  injunction, 
and  the  regulations  in  regard  thereto,  having 
been  framed  into  a  law,  were  placed  on  the 
statute  books  of  the  nation.  It  is  clear,  then, 
that  this  law  was  not  merely  a  part  of  the 
ceremonial  economy  of  Moses,  but  one,  the 
observance  of  which  dated  back  to  time  im- 
memorial. It. was  evidently  designed  to  be  a 
regulating  precept  in  all  future  dispensations 
of  the  Church — a  principle  never  to  be  set 
aside. 

It  is  true,  it  was  re-enforced  under  the  Mo- 


The  Property   Trust.  377 

sale  economy,  just  as  was  the  Sabbath  law; 
but  as  the  Sabbath  law  is  just  as  much  a  law 
of  t*he  Christian  Church  as  it  was  of  the  Jew- 
ish Church,  so  the  property  law,  or  tenth  sys- 
tem, is  of  perpetual  obligation.  No  moral 
precept  has  ever  been  repealed.  God's  law, 
which  regulates  the  property  trust,  is  as 
strictly  of  a  moral  character  as  that  which 
regulates  the  question  of  time.  If,  therefore, 
the  moral  precept  pertaining  to  the  trust  of 
time  be  still  binding,  what  authority  have  we 
to  declare  that  God's  moral  precepts  in  regard 
to  the  disposal  of  property  have  been  cancelled  ? 
They  are  equally  parts  of  God's  moral  law, 
and  as  such  stand  or  fall  together.  But 
they  both  stand,  because  Christ  said,  "  I  am 
not  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets, 
but  to  fulfil." 

It  is  evident  that  God  claims  for  Himself 
at  least  one-seventh  of  our  time,  and  one-tenth 
of  our  income,  and  neither  of  these  laws  can 
be  violated  without  entailing  loss  and  suffering 
on  the  transgressor. 

If  the  Church  under  the  old  dispensation, 
25 


378  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

with  its  inferior  privileges,  gave  so  largely  to 
the  cause  of  God,  surely  the  Christian  Church, 
in  the  possession  of  higher  privileges  and  with 
a  commission  to  evangelize  the  world,  should 
not  adopt  a  smaller  scale  of  contribution.  We 
contend  that  the  obligations  and  motives  for 
liberality  have  been  immeasurably  intensified 
under  this  new  dispensation,  by  reason  of  our 
vastly  increased  privileges,  and  also  in  view  of 
the  enlarged  field  of  operation  which  God  in 
His  providence  has  opened  up  before  the 
Church.  Never  before  in  the  history  of  the 
world  was  there  such  a  demand  for  the  con- 
secration of  property  on  the  part  of  the 
Church  as  now,  in  this  latter  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  because  never  before  did 
God  give  her  such  a  magnificent  opportunity 
for  reaching  and  saving  a  lost  race.  The 
sphere  for  the  exercise  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence and  missionary  enterprise  is  extending 
with  amazing  rapidity,  and  God  calls  upon  the 
Christian  Church  everywhere  to  concentrate 
and  consecrate  all  her  forces  for  active  service, 
that  she  may  measure  up  to  the  glorious  emer- 


The  Property   Trust.  379 

gencies  of  the  hour.  It  is  universally  acknowl- 
edged that  with  increased  privilege  there 
comes  increased  responsibility.  That  being 
the  case,  the  Christian  is  under  obligation  to 
devote  his  property  to  God,  in  larger  propor- 
tions than  were  those  who  only  enjoyed  the 
feeble  light  and  inferior  privileges  of  the  Jew- 
ish dispensation. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  early  disciples, 
under  the  Divine  illumination  of  Pentecost, 
were  prepared  to  go  a  long  way  beyond  the 
bounds  of  Old  Testament  liberality.  The  cir- 
cumstances were  peculiar,  requiring  an  entire 
and  universal  surrender  of  their  earthly  sub- 
stance for  the  benefit  of  the  Church.  The 
Church  had  been  inaugurated,  and  already 
embraced  a  membership  of  over  three  thou- 
sand souls,  but  her  coffers  were  empty.  Funds 
must  be  secured  in  some  way.  What  a  beau- 
tiful picture  of  self-sacrifice  we  have  in  that 
Church  under  the  constraining  love  of  Christ. 
Those  primitive  Christians  advertised  their 
property  for  sale,  and  as  soon  as  possible 
turned  their  real  estate  into  cash,  and  handed 


380  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

the  money  to  the  Apostles  to  meet  the  press- 
ing needs  of  the  Church. 

Think  of  a  man  selling  a  house,  or  lot,  or 
part  of  a  farm  now-a-days  to  raise  funds  for 
the  extension  of  God's  cause  in  the  earth ! 
What  a  stir  such  an  act  of  sacrifice  would 
make  in  the  community !  Yet  just  such  occur- 
rences were  the  order  of  the  day  in  Apostolic 
times.  The  whole  church  was  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  unselfish  love,  and  nothing  in 
their  estimation  was  too  precious  to  sacrifice 
for  the  name  and  cause  of  Christ.  l^Jo  wonder 
it  is  written,  "  And  with  great  power  gave  the 
Apostles  witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  :  and  great  grace  was  upon  them 
all."  The  New  Testament  dispensation  with 
its  antitypical  realities,  its  Pentecostal  bap- 
tism, its  sphere  of  action  wide  as  the  circum- 
ference of  the  globe,  certainly  affords  no  shelter 
for  narrow  covetousness  or  illiberal  contribu- 
tion. 

We  speak  advisedly,  when  we  say  that  there 
is  nothing  so  dishonoring  to  God  in  the  Church 
to-day,  and    hindering   the   salvation    of    the 


The  Property   Trust,  381 

world  so  much,  as  the  glaring  and  almost  uni- 
versal disregard  of  the  property  trust.  "  Cov- 
etousness  is  the  plague-spot,  the  brand-mark  of 
the  Church's  present  condition.  It  is  an  all- 
consuming  cancer  in  her  soul,  eating  up  the 
vitals  of  her  piety  and  bliss."  If  we  could 
only  get  covetousness  out  of  the  Church,  we 
should  soon  get  power  and  soul-saving  effi- 
ciency into  her.  God  is  not  chargeable  with  the 
slow  progress  of  the  Church.  He  is  bending 
with  infinite  concern  over  a  dying  sin-stricken 
world,  but  His  plan  of  operation  is  to  save  by 
the  agency  of  the  Church,  which,  alas  !  is  only 
to  a  very  limited  extent  imbued  with  the  self- 
sacrificing  spirit  of  Christ. 

The  work  of  evangelization  progresses  just 
as  fast  as  the  zeal  and  love  and  liberality  of 
the  Church  increase,  and  no  faster.  But  is  it 
not  evident  to  every  spiritual  mind  that  the 
Church,  in  many  instances,  is  so  steeped 
in  the  spirit  of  selfishness  as  to  effectu- 
ally hold  the  grace  of  God  in  restraint? 
Grasping  covetousness  forms  the  granite  bar- 
rier which  prevents  the  grace  of  Christ  from 


382  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

flowing  out  to  refresh  and  save  a  famishing 
world. 

Let  us  consider  more  particularly  the  old 
Jewish  regulations  for  the  property  trust,  in 
contrast  with  the  meagre  givings  of  Christians 
in  the  present  day,  and  in  this  the  most  highly 
privileged  dispensation  that  the  world  has  ever 
seen. 

"  It  is  commonly  supposed  that  the  devout 
Jew  gave  a  tenth  of  his  means  to  God.  A 
careful  examination  of  the  facts  convinces  us 
that  his  yearly  offerings  to  God  were  on  a 
scale  of  liberality  far  greater.  There  was  the 
ransom  for  his  first-born  son,  and  also  the 
first-fruits  of  his  flock.  There  were  the  first- 
gatherings  of  his  harvest,  estimated  at  one- 
sixtieth,  and  the  corners  of  his  field  left  in 
reaping,  another  sixtieth.  Then  whatever 
dropped  from  the  hand  in  reaping  was  left 
for  the  poor;  and  once  in  seven  years  the 
lands  were  allowed  to  produce  spontaneously 
for  the  poor.  Then  there  were  the  trespass- 
offerings,  sin-offerings,  half-shekels  of  the 
sanctuary,  and    the    remission    of    all    debts 


The  Propel' ty   Trust.  383 

every  seventh  year.  Then  came  the  tithe  for 
the  priesthood — a  tenth  of  the  produce  of  the 
fields — and  of  what  remained  another  tenth 
for  the  Temple  and  the  poor." 

A  careful  summing  up  of  all  their  givings 
shows  that  the  honest  Jew  was  in  the  habit  of 
consecrating  at  least  one-third  of  his  income  to 
God.  We  find,  therefore,  that  under  the  Jew- 
ish dispensation  laws  regulating  every  depart- 
ment of  giving  were  not  only  clearly  and  ac- 
curately defined,  but  w^ere  solemnly  and  rigor- 
ously enforced. 

"  In  this,  shall  we  say,  advanced  age,  it  be- 
comes a  serious  question  to  what  extent  the 
laws  that  regulated  the  givings  of  the  Jews  are 
binding  upon  us.  Many  of  those  laws  were 
for  the  support  of  different  objects  in  the  Tem- 
ple service,  but  this  service,  with  its  various 
details,  has  passed  away,  and  of  necessity  such 
laws  have  become  null  and  void.  All  that  was 
ceremonial  and  local  has  been  repealed.  We 
venture,  however,  to  afiirni  that  the  principle, 
the  duty  of  giving,  is  not  commercial,  but 
moral  in  its  nature  and  influence.     Let  it  never 


384  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

be  forgotten  that  to  give  is  a  moral  duty,  and 
part  of  the  moral  law.  With  no  sanctuary 
worship  and  its  half-shekels,  '  sin-offerings,' 
etc.,  and  no  Jewish  priesthood,  the  letter  of  the 
law  has  been  abrogated,  but  the  spirit  of  the 
law — the  law  itself — still  lives,  and  is  binding. 
We  have  temple  worship  and  a  living  ministry, 
and  the  various  institutions  of  the  Church  to 
be  supported  in  this  age  of  Christian  activity 
and  life ;  and  it  is  really  a  grave  question 
whether  the  earnest,  prayerful  and  believing 
Christian  of  the  present  day,  in  the  possession 
of  means,  is  not  under  obligation  to  give  to  God 
as  much  as  the  honest  and  devout  Jew  of  a 
former  day." 

The  above  quotation  contains  the  opinion  of 
a  devout  minister  of  Christ  in  this  Dominion, 
who  has  given  a  great  deal  of  time  and 
thought  to  the  investigation  of  this  question. 
We  think  that  no  Christian,  who  apprehends 
his  superior  privileges  in  t«his  Gospel  dispensa- 
tion, and  whose  heart  responds  with  Christ-like 
sympathy  to  the  crying  needs  of  a  perishing 
world,  will    regulate    his  contributions   by   a 


The  Prope7^ty   Trust.  385 

narrower  scale  than  that  which  governed  the 
ancient  Jew. 

It  wonld  appear  from  a  careful  study  of  this 
whole  question,  as  it  relates  to  the  different 
dispensations  of  the  world's  history,  that  we 
are  morally  bound  to  lay  aside  as  a  minimum^ 
one-tenth  of  our  income  for  God,  and  then  to 
supplement  that  tenth  by  further  contributions 
and  thank-offerings  according  to  our  resources, 
and  according  to  the  demands  of  the  Church  in 
her  ever  widening  conquests  for  Christ.  There 
is  perhaps  no  law  in  the  Bible  that  is  more 
thoroughly  misapprehended,  and  more  gen- 
erally disregarded  than  this  very  law,  which  is 
designed  to  regulate  God's  claim  upon  the 
earthly  substance,  which  He  has  permitted 
man  as  His  steward  to  handle  for  the  time  be- 
ing. Christians  should  be  exhorted  to  study 
the  Word  of  God  on  this  important  subject, 
that  they  may  form  proper  conceptions  of  their 
responsible  duties  pertaining  to  the  manage- 
ment and  distribution  of  their  material  wealth. 

Let  us  brieily  review  the  situation.  In  the 
earliest  history  of  the  remotest   dispensation, 


386  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

the  claims  of  God  in  this  regard  have  been 
prominently  set  forth.  At  the  very  gates  of 
Eden  the  godly  Abel  offered  up  sacrifice  to  his 
Maker.  Abraham  gave  one-tenth  unto  God, 
and  when  called  upon  to  surrender  his  only 
son  Isaac,  immeasurably  dearer  to  him  than 
all  earthly  substance,  he  promptly  obeyed 
the  command.  Jacob  when  at  Bethel,  on  that 
memorable  night  when  he  had  the  vision  of 
angels,  vowed  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  and  this 
was  the  purport  of  it ;  that  if  God  would  be 
with  him  and  give  him  food  to  eat  and  raiment 
to  wear,  he  would  surely  serve  God  and  con- 
secrate one-tenth  of  his  substance  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good. 

The  Mosaic  dispensation,  which  afforded 
higher  privileges  than  that  of  the  Patriarchal, 
imposed  a  tariff  of  systematic  tithing  that 
claimed  about  one-third  of  all  the  property 
possessed  by  the  Israelites.  The  regular  stated 
annual  contributions  of  the  Jews  to  the  service 
of  God  were  very  large,  and  yet,  on  special  oc- 
casions, when  thank-offerings  were  called  for, 
how  readily  and  nobly  the  people  responded! 


The  Property    Trust.  387 

Witness  the  scene  at  the  erection  of  the  Taber- 
nacle. The  people  gave  in  such  abundance, 
that  the  building  committee  of  the  Tabernacle 
complained  to  Moses  of  the  surplus,  and  ac- 
cordingly the  leader  of  the  people  issued  a 
proclamation  throughout  the  camp  to  this  ef- 
fect : — "  Let  neither  fnan  nor  woman  make 
any  more  work  for  the  offering  of  the  Sanctu- 
ary." "  So  the  people  were  restrained  from 
giving.  For  the  stuff  they  had  was  suf&cient 
for  all  the  work  to  make  it,  and  too  much."  It 
is  not  often  now-a-days  that  a  trustee  board,  in 
building  or  repairing  a  church,  is  constrained 
to  send  a  notice  to  the  pulpit,  kindly  request- 
ing the  people  to  withhold  their  gifts,  inasmuch 
as  the  contributions  already  made  are  amply 
sufficient  to  meet  all  the  demands  in  full.  But 
the  time  is  coming  when  the  treasuries  of  the 
Lord  will  be  flooded ;  when  railroads,  and 
steamboats,  and  manufacturing  establishments, 
and  all  the  industries  of  Christendom  will  be 
run  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  extension  of 
Gospel  light  and  truth  in  the  earth. 

As  another  illustration  of  special  liberality 


388  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

over  and  above  the  regular  contributions,  we 
migbt  instance  the  building  of  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem.  David  and  his  nobles  headed  the 
subscription  list  with  over  two  hundred  and 
forty  millions  of  dollars,  and  this  enormous 
sum  was  augmented  by  subsequent  contribu- 
tions, till  it  reached  an  aggregate  of  three 
thousand  millions  of  dollars.  Coming  down 
the  ages  to  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  highest  dispensation  the  Church 
has  yet  enjoyed,  we  find  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians transcending  the  bounds  of  Old  Testa- 
ment liberality.  They  literally  sold  out  for 
God,  put  their  property  into  a  common  treas- 
ury, and  from  this  source  distribution  was 
made  to  all  men  as  every  man  had  need. 

And  yet,  with  the  precepts  and  example  of 
the  ancient  Church  before  us  for  a  period  of 
four  thousand  years,  with  the  sacrifices  of  love 
made  by  the  early  Christian  Church  under 
the  wonderful  illumination  of  Pentecost,  with 
the  increased  privileges  and  wealth  of  the 
present  dispensation,  with  a  commission  that 
is  not  narrow  and  circumscribed  like  that  of 


The  Property   Trust,  389 

the  Jewisli  Church,  but  aggressive  and  uni- 
versal, a  commission  to  publish  the  Gospel  to 
all  nations — with  all  these  features  of  the 
case  before  them,  some  have  the  assurance  to 
declare  that  God  does  not  require  His  people 
in  the  present  day  to  contribute  so  large  a 
proportion  as  even  one-tenth  to  His  cause. 
We  claim  that  the  whole  tenor  of  Bible  teach- 
ing, from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  contradicts 
and  overthrows  the  position  of  those  who 
take  this  narrow  view  of  the  subject.  With 
increased  privileges,  increased  ability  for  doing 
good,  a  sphere  of  operation  as  wide  as  the 
globe,  how  can  it  be  otherwise  than  that  the 
obligations  of  the  Church  in  the  matter  of 
property  consecration  should  be  greatly  in- 
creased ? 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked,  "  Should 
a  poor  man,  or  a  man  that  is  in  debt,  give  one- 
tenth  of  his  earnings  to  God  ?  "  We  would 
reply  by  asking  another  question,  *'  Should  a 
poor  man,  or  a  man  in  debt,  keep  the  Sab- 
bath ?  "  The  poor  or  embarrassed  man  might 
defend  himself  against  the  claims  of  the  fourth 


390  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

commandment,  by  an  argument  like  the  fol- 
lowing : — "  To  me  time  is  money.  I  can  make 
a  dollar  a  day.  There  are  fifty-two  Sabbaths 
in  the  year.  To  keep  the  fourth  command- 
ment and  thus  suspend  labor  for  fifty-two 
days,  means  simply  fifty-two  dollars  out  of 
my  pocket.  I  don't  think  that  God  requires 
a  poor  man  to  set  apart  so  large  a  proportion 
as  one-seventh  of  his  time  for  religious  pur- 
poses, and,  therefore,  on  what  I  regard  the 
principles  of  common  honesty  and  justice,  I 
feel  that  I  am  guiltless  in  working  at  my  busi- 
ness on  Sunday  as  well  as  Monday." 

Could  such  a  line  of  argument  be  accepted 
in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  ?  Would  not  the  practical  outcome 
of  such  sentiments  utterly  destroy  the  ver} 
foundations  of  Christianity,  and  make  every 
man  a  law  unto  himself?  It  cannot  be  that 
any  man  is  more  likely  to  improve  his  earthly 
condition,  and  pay  off  all  his  debts  by  a  sys- 
tematic violation  of  the  Sabbath,  than  by  the 
strict  observance  of  that  holy  day.  There 
certainly  can   be   no  gain  in  deliberately  set- 


The  Property   Trust,  391 

ting  at  defiance  the  law  of  an  infinitely  wise 
and  benevolent  God.  If  the  voice  of  the 
fonrth  commandment  were  the  voice  of  des- 
potism, rebellion  would  be  justifiable.  But  if 
the  command  is  reasonable  and  benevolent,  it 
is  at  once  a  matter  of  wisdom  and  prudence 
on  our  part  to  yield  a  willing  obedience. 

Our  liberties,  our  enjoyments,  our  prosper- 
ity, our  growth  in  every  department  of  life  are 
all  affected  by  the  character  of  the  government 
under  which  we  live.  To  surrender  our  liber- 
ties, our  freedom  of  speech  and  freedom  of  con- 
science to  the  sceptre  of  tyranny,  is  to  live  the 
crushed  and  degraded  life  of  a  slave.  On  the 
other  hand,  to  bow  in  joyful  homage  at  the 
throne  of  a  government  whose  laws  are  whole- 
some, broad,  liberal,  consulting  the  highest 
freedom  and  dearest  interests  of  the  subject — 
to  bow  in  homage  at  such  a  shrine  is  to  confer 
upon  ourselves  honors  and  blessings  untold. 
Now,  it  will  be  found  on  investigation  that 
such  is  the  unselfishness  and  benevolence  of 
the  Divine  government,  that  every  law  on  the 
statute  books  is  framed  in  the  interests  of  the 


392  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

subject.  Not  in  some  of  their  interests,  but  in 
all  of  them,  down  to  what  might  be  termed  the 
most  insignificant  items  and  trifles  of  life. 
And  further,  so  thoroughly  are  these  laws 
based  on  the  mental,  moral,  spiritual  and  physi- 
cal constitution  of  man,  that  whilst  obedience 
thereto  invariably  brings  blessing,  disobedi- 
ence just  as  invariably  brings  trouble  and 
penalty.  The  Sabbath  law  is  an  illustration 
of  this  thought.  This  law  claims  one-seventh 
of  our  time  for  physical  rest  and  sacred  pur- 
poses. This,  we  claim,  is  pre-eminently  a 
benign  and  gracious  law.  Such  is  the  physi- 
cal constitution  of  man,  that  his  body  cannot 
stand  unremitting  toil  without  serious  injury. 
Man  will  live  longer  and  do  more  work  by  a 
strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath  than  if  he  dis- 
regarded this  regulation  of  the  Creator.  The 
human  body  demands  the  periodical  rests  indi- 
cated in  this  great  time-law  of  God.  No  indi- 
vidual, no  community,  nor  nation  can  set  this 
law  at  defiance,  without  entailing  upon  itself 
untold  misery  and  disgrace.  The  Sabbath 
law,  then,  is  a  highly  salutary  and  beneficent 


The  Property    Tricst.  393 

law  as  far  as  the  body  is  concerned.  Still 
higher  are  its  spiritual  advantages.  For  the 
time  being  man  is  liberated  from  the  usual  em- 
ployments of  life,  and  with  thoughts  and  ener- 
gies withdrawn  from  secular  pursuits,  he  is 
afforded  special  opportunities  for  communion 
with  God  and  with  His  people,  and  for  the  de- 
votional study  of  Divine  truth,  and  through 
these  channels  incomparable  blessings  come  to 
his  heart  and  family  and  home.  The  hands 
of  this  Sabbath  law  are  full  of  benedictions  for 
the  children  of  men. 

What  is  said  of  the  Sabbath  law  may  be  j  ust 
as  truly  said  of  every  other  law  of  God,  viz., 
that  it  is  framed  in  the  interests  of  the  subject. 
'*  The  command^ients  of  God  are  not  grievous, 
but  joyous,  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is 
great  reward."  Our  argument  then  is  this, 
that  if  it  is  profitable  for  the  poor  man  to  keep 
God's  time-law,  it  must  also  be  profitable  for 
him  to  observe  God's  property-law.  Both  pre- 
cepts come  from  the  same  Great  Lawgiver,  and 
are  richly  laden  with   blessings  to  those  who 

keep  them. 
26 


394 


The  Path  to    Wealth. 


It  always  pays  to  be  on  the  right  side  of 
God's  law,  whatever  the  character  of  that  law 
may  be.  Obedience  to  divine  instruction, 
whether  that  instruction  pertain  to  the  conse- 
cration of  time,  the  stewardship  of  property, 
the  regulation  of  the  bodily  appetites  and  pas- 
sions, or  the  direction  and  control  of  all  the 
higher  spiritual  faculties  of  our  being — will 
prove  the  enrichment  of  human  nature  in 
body,  soul  and  estate.  O  that  the  children  of 
men  would  learn  to  trust  and  obey  God !  Then 
would  they  find  that  all  along  the  line  of  obe- 
dience and  faith  the  smile  of  Jehovah  illumi- 
nates and  the  rich  benedictions  of  heaven  fall. 
On  the  other  hand,  all  along  the  line  of  disobe- 
dience we  discover  darkness,  trouble  and  curse 
growing  out  of  the  very  nature  of  things.  No 
man  need  hope  to  outwit  God  or  contravene 
the  tendency  of  His  laws,  by  looking  for  bless- 
ing on  the  side  of  disobedience.  As  all  God's 
laws  are  designed  to  uplift  and  bless,  an  indi- 
vidual will  be  enriched  rather  than  impover- 
ished by  consecrating  at  least  one-tenth  of  his 
substance  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 


The  Property   Trust.  395 

This  subject  might  be  illustrated  largely 
from  practical  experience.  Let  the  citation  of 
one  or  two  instances  suffice.  I  was  acquainted 
with  a  man  who  lived  on  one  of  my  early 
charges  who  adopted  the  tenth  principle,  though 
at  the  time  his  income  was  very  small.  He 
lived  in  a  log-house  and  owned  a  small  farm 
of  twenty-five  acres.  He  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  giving  the  scraps  to  the  Lord, — a  five  cent 
piece  or  a  ten  cent  piece  that  he  might  happen 
to  have  in  his  pocket  when  the  demand  for  the 
cause  of  Christ  was  made.  His  attention  hav- 
ing been  directed  to  the  subject  of  proportionate 
giving,  he  resolved  to  govern  his  contributions 
by  the  new  light  he  had  received.  Accord- 
ingly, when  he  sold  five  dollars'  worth  of 
market  stuff,  he  put  aside  fifty  cents  for  the 
Lord.  If  he  only  sold  one  dollar's  worth,  he 
laid  by  ten  cents.  One-tenth  of  all  sums, 
whether  large  or  small,  was  faithfully  deposited 
in  a  separate  drawer  for  God.  He  soon  found 
that  his  contributions  on  the  new  plan  would 
be  vastly  in  advance  of  his  former  givings,  and 
what  surprised  and    delighted  him  was,    that 


396 


The  Path  to    Wealth. 


notwithstanding  his  greatly  enlarged  scale  of 
liberality,  he  had  more  left  for  himself  than 
when  he  gave  only  the  trifles  to  God.  About 
this  time  the  annual  missionary  meeting  was 
held  in  his  neighborhood,  and  when  the  sub- 


BURNING  THE  NOTE. 


scription  paper  was  circulated  he  contributed 
the  sum  of  seventeen  dollars,  which  was  more 
than  all  the  other  farmers  in  the  neighborhood, 
put  together,  gave  that  year. 

I  knew  another  man  who  adopted  the  tenth 
principle  when  in  debt.     A  few  weeks  after  his 


The  Property   Trust.  397 

new  decision,  a  note  of  one  hnndred  dollars 
came  due.  The  party  holding  the  note  came 
to  him  and  in  the  course  of  conversation  re- 
marked, ^'  You  have  done  a  great  deal  for  me, 
and  I  never  intend  to  ask  you  for  this  money." 
So  saying,  he  opened  the  stove-door  and  con- 
signed the  note  to  the  flames.  It  is  really 
wonderful  how  much  this  man  and  his  two 
sons,  both  of  whom  have  also  adopted  the 
tenth  principle,  have  given  of  late  years  to  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  their  testimony  is  this, 
that  God  has  abundantly  blessed  them — both 
materially  and  spiritually — as  the  result. 
During  a  ministry  of  twenty  years,  I  have  met 
with  a  number  of  persons  who  have  observed 
this  system  of  contribution,  and  every  experi- 
ence corroborates  the  beneficence  of  the  law,  and 
the  absolute  reliability  of  the  promises  con- 
nected therewith. 

**  One-tenth  of  ripening  grain, 
One-tenth  of  tree  and  vine, 
One-tenth  of  all  the  yield 

From  ten-tenths'  rain  and  shine. 


398  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

One-tenth  of  lowing  herds, 
That  browse  on  hill  and  plain  : 

One-tenth  of  bleating  flocks, 
For  ten-tenths'  rain  and  shine. 

One-tenth  of  all  increase 

From  counting  room  and  mart ; 

One-tenth  that  science  yields, 
One-tenth  of  every  art. 

One-tenth  of  loom  and  press, 
One-tenth  of  mill  and  mine ; 

One-tenth  of  every  craft 

Wrought  out  by  gifts  of  Thine. 

One-tenth  of  glowing  words 
That  glowing  guineas  hold ; 

One-tenth  of  written  thoughts — 
That  turn  to  shining  gold. 

One-tenth  !  and  dost  Thou,  Lord, 
But  ask  this  meagre  loan, 

When  all  the  earth  is  Thine, 
And  all  we  have  Thine  own  ?  " 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  disregard  of  God's  claims  upon  the 
pocketbook  is  a  crying  evil  in  the  Church 
to-day,  and  one  that  leaves  a  blight  upon 
every  department  of  Church  work.  Profes- 
sors of  religion  are  not,  as  a  rule,  doing  busi- 
ness for  God.  They  are  doing  business  for 
themselves  and  devoting  their  incomes  for 
selfish  purposes,  whilst  the  cause  of  Christ 
receives  a  very  small  and  insignificant  con- 
sideration in  their  financial  plans.  They  de- 
clare that  their  property  is  their  own,  and 
they  have  a  right  to  do  just  what  they  like 
with  it,  and  this  they  affirm  in  spite  of  God's 
published  and  repeated  declarations  to  the 
contrary.  Listen  to  Jehovah's  version  of  the 
matter :  "  The  gold  and  silver  are  mine." 
"  The  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills  are  mine, 
if  I  were  hungry  I  would  not  ask  thee." 
"  The    earth    is    the    Lord's    and   the    fulness 

thereof"     ''  Ye    are   not    your   own,    ye    are 

(399) 


400  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

bought  with  a  price.''  In  all  these  passages 
the  absolute  proprietorship  of  the  Almighty 
is  asserted.  How  significant  and  opportune 
was  Jehovah's  charge  to  His  ancient  people, 
in  view  of  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  their 
future  settlement  in  Canaan.  "  Beware  that 
thou  forget  not  the  Lord  thy  God,  when  thou 
hast  eaten  and  art  full,  and  hast  built  goodly 
houses  and  dwelt  therein ;  and  when  thy 
herds  and  thy  flocks  multiply,  and  thy  silver 
and  thy  gold  is  multiplied,  and  all  that  thou 
hast  is  multiplied.  And  thou  say  in  thine 
heart,  my  power  and  the  might  of  mine  hand 
hath  gotten  me  this  wealth.  But  thou  shalt 
remember  the  Lord  thy  God :  for  it  is  He  that 
hath  given  thee  power  to  get  wealth.^^  Would 
that  every  prosperous  business  man  realized 
and  practically  recognized  the  secret  spring 
of  his  ever  growing  gains.  Human  independ- 
ence is  a  myth.  '^  My  power  and  the  might 
of  mine  hand  hath  gotten  me  this  wealth, "  is 
a  vain  and  wicked  boast.  Well  indeed  may 
God  rebuke  the  folly  and  impertinence  of 
such    self-commendation,  with    the    reminder, 


The  Property   Trust  401 

"  Thou  shalt  remember  the  Lord  thy  God : 
for  it  is  He  that  giveth  thee  power  to  get 
wealth."  How  readily  could  the  Almighty 
unnerve  the  right  arm  of  industry,  and  render 
the  cunning  workman  a  helpless  invalid !  How 
soon  could  He  smite  the  brain  with  paralysis 
and  transform  the  shrewd  business  man  into 
a  driveling  idiot !  One  touch  of  God's  retribu- 
tive providence  would  wither  human  beauty, 
and  blast  human  greatness,  and  close  up  every 
avenue  to  wealth  and  prosperity.  Should  the 
refreshing  dews  and  genial  showers  and  golden 
sunshine  be  withheld,  all  vegetation  must 
necessarily  cease  and  barrenness  and  death 
universally  prevail. 

Trading  in  the  rich  resources  and  varied 
treasures  of  Divine  bestowment,  man  cannot 
afford  to  raise  the  cry  of  self-derived  success. 
All  the  capital  by  which  earthly  possessions 
are  multiplied  is  furnished  by  the  bountiful 
hand  of  Providence. 

Muscular  strength,  brain-power,  mechanical 
skill,  inventive  genius,  atmosphere,  soil,  light, 
rain  and  heat — the  essential  factors  of  human 


402  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

wealth,  are  all  the  gifts  of  God,  and  should 
never  be  overlooked  in  considering  our  obliga- 
tions to  the  Author  of  all  good. 

If  the  generous  bestowal  of  material  bless- 
ing renders  our  obligations  to  God  so  great, 
what  shall  we  say  concerning  the  strength 
and  perpetuity  of  those  claims  that  grow  out 
of  the  gift  of  Christ  to  our  fallen  race,  and 
the  whole  plan  of  human  redemption  with  its 
unutterable  and  eternal  benedictions  ? 

Who  can  describe  the  narrowness  of  soul, 
the  want  of  appreciation,  the  consummate 
selfishness  of  the  man  who  can  summer  in 
all  these  Divine  blessings,  and  yet  begrudge 
even  one-tenth  of  his  annual  income  for  the 
extension  of  Christ's  Kingdom  in  the  earth  ? 
"  Will  a  man  rob  God  ?  " 

The  fact  is,  the  entire  system  of  Church 
finance  requires  revision.  It  ought  to  be  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  raise  money  for 
the  cause  of  that  blessed  Jesus,  who  went 
down  to  poverty  and  agony  and  death,  that 
He  might  lift  us  to  riches  and  joy  and  life. 
Instead  of  that,  it  is  a  matter  of  great  diffi- 


The  Property   Trust,  403 

culty  to  maintain  the  institutions  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  as  they  should  be  maintained. 
It  is  far  easier  to  raise  money  for  a  political 
club,  for  holiday  recreations,  or  a  band  tourna- 
ment, or  even  for  a  miserable  kalithumpian 
procession,  than  it  is  to  secure  funds  for 
carrying  the  Bread  of  Life  to  a  starving  world. 

There  is  nothing  that  seems  to  grieve  some 
people  so  much  as  an  appeal  for  money  on  be- 
half of  Christ's  Kingdom  on  the  earth.  Thou- 
sands would  like  to  see  the  cause  prosper,  but 
want  a  kind  of  success  that  costs  nothing — ^'  a 
cheap  and  inexpensive  success  that  will  sup- 
port itself,  and  leave  their  cupidity  untaxed 
and  undisturbed."  Let  us  remember  that 
there  is  no  success  in  any  department  of  life 
without  sacrifice,  much  less  in  the  extension 
of  Christ's  Kingdom,  which  has  its  very  foun- 
dation in  unselfish  benevolence. 

What  sacrifices  men  will  make  at  the  shrine 
of  self!  What  sacrifices  the  commercial  man 
will  make  to  put  more  working  capital  into  his 
business !  What  sacrifices  the  farmer  will 
make  to  buy  another  farm,  or  to  pay  for  the 


404 


The  Path  to    Wealth, 


one  he  has !  What  plans  and  self-denials 
many  a  man  will  resort  to  in  order  to  build  a 
fine  house  and  adorn  it  with  elegant  furniture  ! 
What  downright  hardships   and   terrible   ex- 


posures men  will  submit  to,  away  off  in  the 
gold  mines  far  from  the  blessings  of  civiliza- 
tion and  the  comforts  of  home,  in  their  resolute 
determination  to  dig  a  fortune  out  of  the  earth ! 


The  Property   Trust.  405 

We  have  no  fault  to  find  with  all  this.  Self- 
denial,  sustained  courage,  persevering  toil  con- 
stitute the  highway  to  success  in  every  avenue 
of  life.  But  we  inquire,  should  the  motive  of 
the  merchant,  or  the  farmer,  or  the  fortune 
seeker  be  stronger  than  the  motive  of  the  Cross  ? 

Where  is  the  proof  of  our  attachment  and 
love  for  the  Saviour,  if  the  motive  of  the  Cross 
does  not  move  us  with  an  all-absorbing  impulse 
to  do  large  things  for  Him  ?  Have  you  thought, 
dear  reader,  of  those  words,  so  often  embodied 
in  Christian  song — "  I  gave  my  life  for  thee," 
and  then  of  the  question  which  follows — ''  What 
hast  thou  done  for  me?" 

This  statement  and  this  interrogation  reveal 
the  generosity  of  God  and  the  ingratitude  of 
man.  Here  we  have  Infinite  love  on  the  one 
hand  and  human  selfishness  on  the  other. 
How^  grasping  covetousness  is  confounded  in  the 
presence  of  Calvary  !  It  is  with  the  mysteri- 
ous, unparalleled,  infinite  sacrifice  of  Jesus  be- 
fore our  gaze,  that  we  gather  the  highest  in- 
spiration for  Christian  liberality  and  Christian 
work. 


4o6  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

"  Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing, 
Which  before  the  Cross  we  spend." 

* '  Here  we  learn  to  serve  and  give, 
And  our  narrow  self  deny  ; 
Here  we  gather  love  to  live, 
Here  we  gather  faith  to  die." 

It  is  beneath  the  vertical  influence  of  this 
manifested  love  that  human  selfishness  re- 
treats and  vanishes,  and  the  whole  man — with 
all  the  powers  and  possibilities  of  his  life — is 
surrendered  to  God. 

Dear  reader,  if  your  heart  rebels  when  you 
are  asked  to  do  anything  for  Christ,  if  your 
givings  are  small  and  contributed  reluctantly  at 
that,  I  pray  you  take  a  long  and  lingering 
look  at  the  Cross.  Look  at  it  till  you  see  its 
glory  !  Look  at  it  till  you  feel  its  mysterious 
power  melting  and  subduing  your  heart,  and 
breaking  all  the  bands  of  selfishness  that  have 
so  long  imprisoned  your  soul ;  and  then,  with 
the  generosity  which  an  all-pervading  love  in- 
spires, you  will  appreciate  the  sentiments  of  the 
Christian  poet  when  he  cried : — 


The  Property   Trust,  407 

Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small ; 

Love  so  amazing,  so  Divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all." 

The  love  of  Jesus  Christ  transforms  the 
matter  of  giving  from  an  irksome  duty  into  a 
refreshing  privilege, — a  spiritual  luxury. 

Of  all  potent  forces  in  the  universe  of  God, 
love  stands  forth  in  unrivalled  strength.  It 
will  carry  more  burdens,  it  will  endure  more 
suffering,  it  will  accomplish  more  work,  it  will 
win  more  victories,  it  will  give  more  money,  it 
will  encounter  and  conquer  more  difficulties 
than  any  other  moral  force  that  can  be  named. 
It  has  been  truly  said  that  "  To  love,  more 
than  to  anything  else,  this  world  owes  what 
blessedness  it  enjoys." 

O  that  the  love  of  Christ  might  extend  the 
empire  of  its  divine  influence  from  the  centre 
to  the  circumference  of  every  Christian  heart ! 
In  that  case  the  questions  of  church  finance 
and  church  work  would  soon  be  effectually 
settled,  and  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  God 
would  be  an  event  of  early  date.     Love  knows 


4o8  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

no  burdens.  Measured  by  this  test,  bow  pro- 
fessions of  attacbment  and  loyalty  to  Christ 
come  short ! 

Should  a  faithful,  loving  wife  ask  a  w^ealthy 
husband  to  procure  her  some  article  that  she 
was  very  much  in  need  of,  and  he  should 
churlishly  reply,  "  I  cannot  afford  to  get  it  for 
you,"  you  would  conclude  that  he  did  not  love 
his  wife  much,  or  he  would  have  granted  her 
reasonable  request.  And  when  Jesus  Christ, 
with  his  pierced  brow  and  bleeding  hands  and 
wounded  side,  approaches  His  professed  fol- 
lower to  plead  on  behalf  of  His  needy,  suffer- 
ing cause,  and  that  man  ties  his  purse-strings 
and  shuts  his  heart  and  sets  himself  like  a  flint 
to  resist  the  most  pathetic  entreaties,  what  is 
the  verdict  ?  Why,  that  Mammon  has  a  much 
stronger  grasp  on  that  man's  heart  than  the 
love  of  Christ.  The  most  charitable  mind 
could  reach  no  other  conclusion. 

I  could  wish  that  all  Christians  would  inves- 
tigate this  property  question,  not  only  in  the 
light  of  scriptural  command  and  scriptural 
promise,  but  especially  from  the  standpoint  of 


The  Property   Trust,  409 

the  Cross ;  for  then,  I  am  convinced,  they  would 
be  prepared  to  transfer  the  whole  matter  of 
contribution  to  the  institutions  of  the  church, 
from  the  legal  basis  of  duty  to  the  higher  plat- 
form of  joyous  privilege.  "  Ye  know  the  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  He  was 
rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  became  poor,  that 
ye  through  His  poverty  might  be  rich." 
'^  Every  man  according  as  he  purposeth  in  his 
heart  so  let  him  give;  not  grudgingly  or  of 
necessity:  for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver. 
And  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound 
toward  you ;  that  ye  always  having  all  sufiE- 
ciency  in  all  things,  may  abound  in  every  good 

work." 

27 


CHAPTER  III. 

Wk  now  wish  to  call  attention  to  some  of 
the  Divine  pledges  of  blessing  on  behalf  of 
those  who  faithfully  observe  the  claims  of  His 
property  laws,  and  to  the  indirect  penalties  that 
follow  the  violation  of  these  laws.  There  is  a 
remarkable  passage  in  the  third  chapter  of 
Malachi's  prophecy  that  demands  more  than  a 
passing  notice. 

The  Jews  had  been  withholding  from  God 
His  prescribed  proportion  of  the  income,  and, 
as  the  result  of  this  sin,  the  land  was  visited 
with  destructive  insects  and  other  pests,  that 
destroyed  the  fruits  of  the  husbandman's  labor. 
At  this  juncture,  when  there  was  sore  distress 
and  scarcity  throughout  the  land  by  reason  of 
failure  in  the  crops,  Jehovah  charged  His  peo- 
ple with  the  worst  kind  of  robbery,  and  having 
commanded  them  to  bring  all  the  tithes  into 
the  storehouse,  he  flung  out  the  notable  chal- 
lenge :  "  Prove   Me   now   herewith,  saith   the 

(411) 


412  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the  win- 
dows of  heaven  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing, 
that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive 
it.''  "And  I  will  rebuke  the  devourer  for  your 
sakes,  and  he  shall  not  destroy  the  fruits  of 
your  ground ;  neither  shall  your  vine  cast  her 
fruit  before  the  time  in  the  field,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts.  And  all  nations  shall  call  you  blessed : 
for  ye  shall  be  a  delightsome  land,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts." 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  special  note,  that  in 
temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  things,  God  places 
trust  first  in  the  order  of  events,  and  blessing 
afterwards.  "  Prove  Me  by  trusting  Me  and 
I'll  honor  you  by  blessing  you,"  is  the  sub- 
stance of  the  Divine  challenge. 

It  might  at  first  sight  seem  unreasonable  for 
God  to  demand  all  the  tithes  of  the  Jewish  sys- 
tem, under  the  circumstances.  Nevertheless, 
that  is  just  what  He  did.  It  was  done  to  pro- 
mote humiliation  and  excite  trust,  and  also  to 
show  His  people  their  entire  dependence  upon 
Him  for  all  the  good  things  of  this  life. 

The  same  principle  of  action  is  illustrated  in 


The  Property   Trust.  413 

God's  dealings  with  His  people  in  the  days  of 
the  prophet  Haggai,  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  years  previous  to  the  above-men- 
tioned test.  The  Jews  had  returned  from  cap- 
tivity, but  instead  of  devoting  their  means  and 
energies  towards  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple, 
they  were  erecting  comfortable  homes  for  them- 
selves, leaving  the  house  of  God  neglected  and 
desolate.  The  visitation  of  God  upon  the  peo- 
ple and  the  land  because  of  covetousness  is 
full  of  admonitory  lessons  to  all  succeeding 
generations.  ^'  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear  let 
him  hear." 

"  Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  Haggai 
the  prophet  saying,  is  it  time  for  you,  O  ye,  to 
dwell  in  your  ceiled  houses,  and  this  house  lie 
waste?  Now  therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts  ;  consider  your  ways.  Ye  have  sown 
much,  and  bring  in  little ;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have, 
not  enough ;  ye  drink,  but  ye  are  not  filled  with 
drink  ;  ye  clothe  you,  but  there  is  none  warm  ; 
and  he  that  earneth  wages,  earneth  wages  to 
put  into  a  bag  with  holes.  Ye  looked  for 
much,  and  lo  it  came  to  be  little :  and  when  ye 


414  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

brought  it  home,  I  did  blow  upon  it.  Why  ? 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Because  of  mine 
house  that  is  waste,  and  ye  run  every  man 
unto  his  own  house.  Therefore  the  heaven 
over  you  is  stayed  from  dew,  and  the  earth  is 
stayed  from  her  fruit.  And  I  called  for  a 
drought  upon  the  land,  and  upon  the  moun- 
tains, and  upon  the  corn,  and  upon  the  new 
wine,  and  upon  the  oil,  and  upon  that  which 
the  ground  bringeth  forth,  and  upon  men  and 
upon  cattle,  and  upon  all  the  labour  of  the 
hands."  Let  the  men  who  think  to  outwit 
God  by  despising  his  money  laws,  ponder  well 
the  import  of  this  withering.  Divine  curse. 
The  prophet  further  reminds  the  people  of 
their  folly  by  pointing  them  to  the  small  re- 
turns of  the  field  and  the  vineyard :  "  Since 
those  days  were,  when  one  came  to  a  heap  of 
twenty  measures,  there  were  but  ten."  God 
would  only  have  asked  two  measures  out  of 
the  twenty,  but  seeing  the  farmer  was  not  dis- 
posed to  give  any,  the  Lord  took  ten  measures, 
or,  in  other  words.  He  took  fifty  per  cent,  by 
penalty  J  when  He  would  only  have  asked  ten 


,    The  Property  Trust.  415 

per  cent,  by  law.  Again,  ''  When  one  came  to 
the  pressfat  for  to  draw  out  fifty  vessels  out  of 
the  press,  there  were  but  twent}^"  God  only 
required  of  them  five  vessels,  but  seeing  they 
were  greedily  determined  to  hold  all  and  give 
none,  He  took  from  them  thirty  vessels,  or  six 
times  as  much,  by  penalty,  as  He  would  have 
asked  by  law.  ^'  I  smote  you  with  blasting 
and  with  mildew  and  with  hail  in  all  the  labour 
of  your  hands  ;  yet  ye  turned  not  to  Me,  saith 
the  Lord." 

Shall  the  potsherd  of  the  earth  strive  with 
his  Maker?  Need  insignificant  man,  depend- 
ent on  the  Divine  bounty  for  every  breath  he 
draws  and  every  atom  of  strength  he  possesses, 
expect  to  cheat  God  with  impunity  ? 

"Heaven,  though  slow  to  wrath, 
Is  never  with  impunity  defied." 

Here  again,  in  the  midst  of  poverty  and  famine, 
God  called  upon  the  people  to  devote  their  time 
and  strength  towards  completing  the  Temple. 
Modem  prudence  and  wisdom  would  rebel  at 
this  point  and  say :  ''  No !  let  the  people  look 


4i6  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

after  their  own  families  first,  and  afterwards 
take  the  interests  of  God's  cause  into  consider- 
ation." The  Author  of  all  wisdom  and  bless- 
ing speaks  otherwise.  "Go  up  to  the  moun- 
tain, and  bring  wood,  and  build  the  house,  and 
I  will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  I  will  be  glori- 
fied, saith  the  Lord."  And  then  Jehovah 
promised  that  from  the  very  day  they  began  to 
obey  Him  the  tide  of  their  calamities  should 
be  arrested,  and  an  era  of  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual prosperity  should  be  opened  up  for  them 
by  a  smiling  Providence.  '^  From  this  day  will 
I  bless  you." 

Oh  that  men  would  recognize  the  hand  of 
God  in  all  relations  of  life.  ,  Were  the  people 
to  observe  the  property  laws  of  the  Bible,  we 
should  have  such  scenes  of  commercial  and 
agricultural  prosperity  as  the  world  has  never 
seen. 

*  *  The  sun  gives  ever,  so  the  earth 
What  it  can  give — so  much  'tis  worth  ; 
The  ocean  gives  in  many  ways — 
Gives  baths,  gives  fishes,  rivers,  bays ; 
So  too  the  air,  it  gives  us  breath, 
When  it  stops  giving — comes  in  death. 


The  Property   Trust.  417 


Give,  give,  be  always  giving, — 
Who  gives  not  is  not  living ; 

The  more  you  give, 

The  more  you  live. 

"God's  love  hath  in  us  wealth  unheaped, 
Only  by  giving  is  it  reaped  ; 
The  body  withers  and  the  mind 
Is  pent  up  by  a  selfish  rind. 

Give  strength,  give  thoughts,  give  deeds,  give  pelf, 
Give  love,  give  tears,  and  give  thyself. 
Give,  give,  be  always  giving, — 
Who  gives  not  is  not  living  ; 
The  more  you  give. 
The  more  you  live," 

[We  regret  that  want  of  space  prevents  us  from  publishing  the 

full  paper  on  "The  Property  Trust."] 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


(Hieing  and  ^umh^, 

BY 

J^EV.  /NO.  POLLARD,  D,  D, 


(419) 


GIVING  AND  RECEIVING. 


"To  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  It 
it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. ' ' — Acts  xx.  35. 


"  More  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive  ?  " 
Who  believes  that  ?  Some  would  deny  it  at 
once  even  as  a  bare  theory.  Some,  whatever 
they  might  think  of  it  as  a  naked  proposition, 
would  promptly  discredit  it  as  a  rule  of  life : 
they  think  it  would  ruin  them  to  act  on  it. 
Others  might  not  feel  authorized  to  discard  it 
in  any  sense  ;  and  yet  they  stand  in  doubt  of 
it.  After  the  statement,  *'  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive,"  they  would  "write  a 
stupendous  interrogation  point  (?),  as  if  to  say, 
''  Is  that  true  ?  "    ''  Can  it  be  true  ?  " 

What  I  propose  to  do  is  to  help  your  faith 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  text  by,  showing  that, 
however  strange  or  absurd  it  may  appear,  it  is 

in    perfect   accord   with    common    sense    and 

(421) 


422  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

sound  reasoning.  At  first  it  may  seem  a  glit- 
tering fallacy ;  on  examination  it  is  found  a 
solid,  sober  truth. 

Several  preliminary  remarks  must  be  made. 
Your  tbougbts  have  perhaps  already  darted  to 
your  pocket-books. 

1.  Let  us  not  suppose  that  the  giving  and 
receiving  here  referred  to  are  the  giving  and 
receiving  of  money  alone.  They  are  of  course 
included ;  but  the  passage  before  us  embraces 
much  more.  It  embraces  the  giving  and  re- 
ceiving of  sympathy,  of  prayers,  of  kind 
words,  of  kind  acts,  of  anything,  of  every- 
thing that  relieves,  establishes,  comforts,  helps. 

2.  One  act  of  receiving  must  precede  all 
giving  in  the  highest  sense.  It  is  that  act  of 
receiving  referred  to  by  John  when  he  says, 
''  But  as  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave 
He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to 
them  that  believe  on  His  name''  (John  i.  12). 
We  must  be  filled  and  enriched  by  the  pres- 
ence of  Christ  with  us  and  in  us  before  we  can 
become  givers  to  the  world  about  us. 

3.  Christ,  when  on  earth,  acted  on  the  prin- 


Giving  and  Receiving.  423 

ciple  of  the  text,  "  The  Son  of  man  came  not 
to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister  "  (Matt. 
XX.  28)  :  which  is  equivalent  to  saying,  "  I 
came  not  to  receive,  but  to  give ;  I  came  not  to 
set  the  current  of  benefits  from  the  world  to 
me,  but  to  turn  that  current  from  me  to  the 
world."  We  have  but  to  read  the  history  of  our 
Lord  to  see  how  fully  the  acts  of  His  hands 
confirmed  the  utterance  of  His  lips.  His  whole 
life,  as  well  as  His  death,  was  a  giving,  not  a 
receiving.  The  Son  of  God,  being  possessed 
of  infallible  wisdom,  must  have  sought  the 
object  that  was  most  desirable  and  most 
blessed. 

Now  we  proceed  to  the  main  argument. 

I.  The  analogies  of  nature  and  life  give  us 
no  slight  intimations  of  the  teaching  in  the  text. 
Your  writing-desk  gives :  from  it  you  draw 
your  materials  for  correspondence  or  any  liter- 
ary work  you  may  propose  to  yourself  Your 
waste-basket  receives.  You  think  much  more 
of  your  writing-desk  than  of  your  waste-basket. 
You  take  your  writing-desk  and  put  it  on  the 
table — the  post  of  honor:  you  take  your  waste- 


424  The  Path  to   Wealth. 

basket  and  put  it  under  the  table — the  station 
of  inferiority  and  humiliation.  The  fountain 
gives  :  the  sewer  receives.  The  fountain  is 
pure,  and  sparkling,  and  attractive:  the  sewer 
is  dark,  and  filthy,  and  repulsive.  Those  sub- 
stances in  nature  that  receive  all  the  rays  of 
the  sun  and  absorb  in  themselves  as  much  as 
they  receive  are  black — a  color  symbolic  of 
woe.  Those  substances  that  receive  all  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and,  absorbing  none,  give 
back  all,  are  white — the  color  emblematic  of 
purity  and  glory.  There  is  an  inland  sea  that 
has  no  outlet : — the  Dead  Sea,  in  Syria.  It 
has  an  inlet  through  which  the  rapid  Jordan 
is  emptied  into  its  bosom.  It  receives  but 
does  not  give.  Its  shores  are  a  desert,  on  its 
surface  no  sail  is  spread,  through  its  waters  no 
fishes  swim,  in  its  tide  no  wild  fowl  bathe  their 
plumage.  Amid  frowning  cliffs  it  lies,  for- 
saken of  men,  and  accursed  of  God. 

2.  Look  at  the  traits  nourished  by  the  two 
processes.  Receiving  tends  to  nourish  self- 
ishness. It  makes  a  man  purseproud,  and 
sordid,  and    earthly.      The    horizon   of    this 


Giving  and  Receiving.  425 

world  completely  bounds  his  vision.  He  will 
see  nothing  beyond  this  world,  and  conse- 
quently he  will  become  narrow  in  his  views 
and  sympathies.  We  might  suppose  that,  in 
the  person  that  much  receives  and  nothing 
gives,  at  least  one  excellent  quality  would  be 
nourished — gratitude.  But  even  here  we  find 
ourselves  disappointed.  The  person  that  only 
receives  is  never  grateful.  His  numberless 
and  never-ceasing  blessings  come  to  be  re- 
garded by  him  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  sees 
not  God  the  Giver  in  one  of  them.  His  greedy, 
eager  gaze  is  too  closely  fixed  on  the  gift,  for 
him  to  see  the  hand  that  bestows  it.  He  is 
like  the  swine  beneath  the  oak,  too  busy  eat- 
ing the  acorns  to  look  up  to  the  boughs  from 
which  they  fall.  Such  are  the  traits  nourisned 
by  receiving.  What  are  the  qualities  de- 
veloped by  giving  ?  Generosity,  benevolence, 
fraternity,  tenderness  of  soul,  largeness  of 
view,  and  resemblance  to  Him  that  gives  to  all 
life,  breath,  and  all  things.  These  are  the 
traits  that  giving  fosters ;   and  these  are  the 

traits  that  exalt  and  ennoble  human  nature. 
28 


426  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

They  as  far  surpass  the  qualities  nourished  by 
receiving  as  fine  gold  surpasses  the  basest 
metal. 

3.  Then  I  appeal  to  your  own  experience. 
You  have  been  doubting  whether  it  was  "  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  when,  if  you 
had  only  read  aright  your  own  history,  you 
would  have  known  it  was  true.  You  have 
sometimes  received.  You  have  felt  joy  in  re- 
ceiving. At  other  times  you  have  given. 
And  you  felt  joy  in  giving.  Both  experiences 
are  then  before  you.  Which  do  you  prize 
most  ?  Are  you  not  perfectly  conscious  that 
your  joy  in  giving  was  of  a  better,  purer, 
nobler  type  than  your  joy  in  receiving?  Do 
you  not  feel  that  it  was  a  joy  that  better  became 
a  rational,  immortal,  accountable  being  ?  Do 
you  not  feel  that  it  was  a  joy  you  would  rather 
think  of  and  dwell  upon  amid  scenes  of  afflic- 
tion, and  at  the  hour  of  death  ?  The  joy  of 
receiving  is  like  a  sparkling  dew-drop  which  a 
passing  footstep  may  brush  away ;  but  the 
joy  of  giving  is  like  a  glittering  star  set  in 
the  sky  of  night,  which  will  shine  on   over 


Giving  and  Receiving  427 

decaying     empires,    and     through     revolving 
ages. 

4.  God  has  promised  much  to  giving^  nothing 
to  receiving.  What  does  Jehovah  promise  to 
giving  ?  It  would  require  a  volume  to  tell  you. 
I  quote  only  one  pledge  that  Jesus  has  made. 
^  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good  meas- 
ure, pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and 
running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom '^ 
(Luke  vi.  38).  This  blessed  promise  effectu- 
ally answers  those  that  ask,  "  How  am  I  to 
have  anything  to  give,  if  I  am  to  be  giving  all 
the  time  ?  "  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you.  You  have  probably  seen  men  load  drays 
with  bagged  hams.  The  man  in  the  store  will 
throw  to  the  one  on  the  pavement,  and  the 
man  on  the  pavement  to  the  man  in  the  cart. 
The  man  on  the  pavement  is  constantly  pitch- 
ing the  hams  away  from  him,  and  yet  is  as 
constantly  having  a  ham  in  his  hands.  Why? 
Because,  as  rapidly  as  he  parts  from  one, 
another  is  thrown  him.  So,  God  deals  with 
the  liberal  soul ;  as  he  parts  from  what  he  has, 
God  gives  him  more.     Now  search  out  yoiwx 


428  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

promise  to  the  mere  receiver ;  and  when  you 
have  found  it  let  me  know. 

5.  Receivmg  has  no  recompense  in  the  next 
world :  giving  has.  Dives  was  a  man  that  re- 
ceived on  earth.  He  was  clothed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every 
day.  But  what  did  he  get  on  the  other  shore? 
Nothing,  absolutely  nothing.  In  the  other 
world,  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  his  tongue  was 
denied  him.  "  Son,  remember  that  thou  in 
thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and 
likewise  Lazarus  evil  things ;  but  now  he  is 
comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented"  (Luke  xvi. 
25).  In  contrast  with  this  spectacle  look  at 
the  reward  offered  in  the  other  world  to  giving. 
Jesus  says,  "  When  thou  makest  a  dinner  or  a 
supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren, 
neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich  neighbors ; 
lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompense 
be  make  thee."  That  is,  take  care  how  you 
become  a  receiver  in  this  world.  "  But  when 
thou  makest  a  feast,  call  the  poor,  the  maimed, 
the  lame,  the  blind:  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed; 
for   they   cannot   recompense   thee :    for   thou 


Giving  and  Receiving,  429 

shalt  be  recompensed  at  the  resurrection  of 
the  just"  (Luke  xiv.  12,  13,  14).  If  receiv- 
ing has  its  rewards  only  on  earth,  but  giving 
its  recompense  both  here  and  hereafter,  surely 
we  may  no  longer  doubt  that  "it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

OBJECTION. 

But  some  one  may  say,  "  The  principle  you 
advocate  calls  for  us  to  discontinue  all  ac- 
cumulation and  do  nothing  but  distribute." 
Not  at  all.  Your  view  completely  overlooks 
the  true  relation  between  accumuiacing  and 
distributing.  We  are  not  to  dispense  with 
distributing  in  our  accumulating:  neither  are 
we  to  dispense  with  accumulating  in  our  dis- 
tributing. But  we  are  to  accumulate  in  order 
that  we  may  distribute.  "Let  him  labor," 
says  the  scripture,  "working  with  his  hands 
the  thing  which  is  good,  that  he  may  have  to 
give  to  him  that  needeth"  (Eph.  iv.  28).  Re- 
ceiving must  go  on:  but  go  on, not  as  a  means 
of  accumulation,  but  as  a  means  of  giving. 
This  subject  teaches  us  many  important 


430  The  Path  to   Wealth, 

LESSONS. 

1.  It  rebukes  the  error  of  constantly  con- 
sidering what  we  are  receiving  from  others. 
Some  deal  with  this  question  almost  entirely. 
With  them  the  only  inquiry  is,  "What  treat- 
ment am  I  receiving  from  other  people?"  I 
have  met  with  such  persons  very  often.  They 
have  told  me  how  cold,  how  distant,  how  un- 
appreciative,  how  uncharitable,  this  one  and 
that  one  are  towards  them.  This  may  be  a 
matter  of  some  interest,  but  it  is  by  no  means 
the  sole  matter  or  the  main  matter.  If  it  is 
true  that  "it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive,"  the  question  for  us  to  ask  is  not  how 
other  people  are  treating  us,  but  how  we  are 
treating  other  people;  not  what  we  are  getting 
from  our  fellow-men,  but  what  we  are  meting 
out  to  them. 

2.  It  teaches  us  a  lesson  about  accounts. 
Few  business  men  neglect  to  inquire,  at  stated 
times,  what  their  receipts  have  been.  But  in 
the  light  of  this  text,  I  must  ask  whether  that 
should  be  all.  When  at  the  end  of  a  year  or  a 
month  or  a  week,  we  are  thinking  of  earnings 


Giving  and  Receiving,  431 

or  salary  or  income,  we  should  not  merely  in- 
quire what  money  we  have  received,  but  we 
ought  to  add  up  also  to  see  what  we  have 
given. 

"  He  only  breathes,  and  never  lives, 
Who  much  receives  and  nothing  gives, 
Whom  none  can  praise,  whom  none  can  thank, 
Creation's  blot,  creation's  blank." 


^\xt  iitthe. 


BY 


ii£K    WM.   TAYLOR,  Bishop  of  Africa. 


(433) 


THE  TITHE, 


When  God  established  human  rights  to  six 
days  per  week  for  all  manner  of  honest  in- 
dustry and  legitimate  enjoyment  in  secular 
lines  of  life,  He  reserved  one  day  of  each  week, 
a  seventh  of  time,  to  which  He  gave  us  no 
right  except  to  use  it  for  purposes  of  mercy  to 
man  and  beasts  of  burden  according  to  His 
plain  injunctions  in  regard  to  the  institutions 

of  the  Sabbath. 

So  when  God  established  human  rights  to 
property,  He  reserved  the  tenth  of  all  net  pro- 
ceeds for  purposes  of  mercy,  and  never  gave  to 
man  any  right  to  the  tenth  except  as  a  dis- 
bursing agent  for  Him. 

He  has  given  to  mankind,  ist,  the  mental 
appetence  for  property;  ad,  the  right  to  ac- 
cumulate, to  have,  and  to  hold  property ;  and, 
3d,  property  resources  in  vast  variety;  and  He 


436  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

protects  their  property  rights  by  the  eighth 
comraandment  of  the  Decalogue.  Having  done 
all  this  for  all  men,  it  would  be  extremely  un- 
like God's  way  of  doing  business  to  let  them 
riot  in  His  vast  domain,  regardless  of  the  rights 
of  the  Sovereign  who  has  provided  and  supplies 
all  its  resources. 

He  opens  His  vast  fields  of  wealth  in  all 
their  varieties  to  be  developed  by  the  human 
race,  giving  fruitful  seasons  for  the  soil,  water 
power,  wind  power,  steam  power,  and  electric 
power,  with  power  of  mind  and  muscle,  requisite 
to  all  mechanical  and  commercial  pursuits,  and 
goes  in  partnership  with  each  worker,  demand- 
ing as  His  share  the  tenth  of  the  net  proceeds 
of  their  united  labor.  Abraham  and  Jacob 
conformed  to  this  fundamental  law  with  con- 
temporaneous nations  of  that  day.  It  was 
hence  incorporated  in  the  divinely  appointed 
Mosaic  system  of  law.  ''All  the  tithe  of  the 
land,  whether  of  the  sea  or  of  the  land,  or  of 
the  fruit  of  the  tree,  is  the  Lord's  ;  it  is  holy 
unto  the  Lord ;  "  not  simply  the  Lord's  in  the 
sovereign  sense  of  ''  the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and 


The   Tithe.  437 

the  fulness  thereof,"  but  in  the  sense  of  busi- 
ness personal  rights  as  explained  in  the  next 
verse. 

"And  if  a  man  will  at  all  redeem  aught  of 
his  tithes,  he  shall  add  thereto  a  fifth  part 
thereof" — he  would  receive  in  money  a  fifth 
more  than  the  current  value  of  the  tenth 
bullock  or  other  kind  of  tithe  he  wished  to 
redeem.  ''And  as  concerning  the  tithe  of  the 
herd,  or  of  the  flock,"  herd  of  cattle  or  flock  of 
sheep  or  goats,  "  even  whatsoever  passeth  under 
the  yoke,  the  tenth  shall  be  holy  unto  the  Lord." 

Four  varieties  of  value  are  named  to  teach  us 
that  all  productions  of  human  industry  are 
subject  to  God's  reserved  right  of  the  tithe  for 
the  relief  of  the  poor  and  needy,  and  for  the 
support  of  the  institutions  of  God  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind.  It  will  be  observed  that 
this  law  of  the  tithe  is  not  a  ceremonial  or  a 
typical  law,  having  a  limited  tenure,  but  is  as 
enduring  as  "  seedtime  and  harv-est,"  and 
human  life  and  labor  on  earth.  The  man  who 
refuses  to  give  to  God  the  tithe  of  his  net 
earnings  or  income,  to  be  applied  according  to 


438  The  Path  to    Wealth, 

His  best  judgment,  is  guilty  of  defrauding  his 
Divine  Sovereign. 

"  Will  a  man  rob  God?  "  The  rascally  fel- 
low replies,  ''  wherein  have  we  robbed  Thee  ?  " 
God  replies,  "  in  tithes  and  offerings."  What 
is  the  penalty  ?  "Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse." 
What  are  the  terms  of  reconciliation  ?  "  Bring 
the  tithes  into  the  storehouse  and  prove  me 
therewith,  saith  the  Lord,  and  see  if  I  will  not 
pour  you  out  such  a  blessing  as  there  shall  not 
be  room  to  receive  it." 

He  does  not  command  them  to  bring  the 
freewill  offering.  The  one  is  a  legal  right,  the 
other  is  an  acceptable  voluntary  offering.  He 
goes  on  to  indicate  the  curse  visited  upon  those 
who  refuse  to  give  to  God  His  portion,  and  its 
removal  at  their  return  to  honest  dealing  with 
Him. 

"  I  will  rebuke  the  devourer  for  your  sakes, 
and  the  vine  shall  no  more  cast  her  fruit,  and 
ye  shall  have  a  delightsome  land,  and  all 
nations  shall  call  you  blessed." 

The  devourer  is  a  generic  term  to  represent 
all  extraordinary  destructive  things  that  waste 


The   Tithe. 


439 


the  tiller's  toil,  such  as  the  caterpillar,  the 
locust,  the  Kansas  grasshopper,  the  army 
worm,  the  chinch  bug,  the  potato  bug,  and 
such  like,  and  the  mildew  and  blight  of  various 
kinds  which  cause  "  the  vine  to  cast  her  fruit," 
the  wasting  or  destruction  of  the  maturing 
crops  of  any  kind,  and  of  property  in  general. 

God  does  not  do  this  vindictively,  but  to 
teach  His  subjects  what  a  losing  business  it  is 
to  defraud  their  Maker.  These  laws  apply 
alike  to  saints  and  sinners  apart  from  the 
question  of  personal  salvation,  upon  a  personal 
acceptance  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  Saviour  of 
sinners. 

The  Pharisee  who  went  up  into  the  temple 
to  pray  "  paid  tithes  on  all  that  he  possessed," 
and  undoubtedly  received  the  promised  bless- 
ing of  God  on  his  business,  yet  he  did  not 
receive  Christ  and  obtain  justification  by  faith 
as  did  the  poor  Publican. 

All  expenses  involved  in  the  production  of 
values  must  be  paid  before  "  net  proceeds  "  can 
be  estimated,  and  tithed ;  the  personal  and 
family  expenses   of  the   producer  must    come 


440  The  Path  to    Wealth. 

out  of  tlie  nine-tenths  which  fall  to  his  share. 
The  tithes  should  be  "  laid  by  in  store " 
promptly ;  the  disbursement  of  it  may  be  de- 
layed, subject  to  the  order  of  God  by  some 
providential  intimation  that  commends  itself  to 
the  judgment  and  conscience  of  His  partner  in 
the  business.  ''  We  are  workers  together  with 
God  "  in  this  as  we  should  be  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  life  and  godliness. 


Princeton  Theoloqical  Seminaty   Libraries 


1    1012  01234  9371 


Jtr 


Date  Due 


^^ 


v; 


m^iM 


mm 


mk 


l?isl 


'^^imii. 


mmmMm 


mmi-'^ 


^^ 


w 


M^B^Ii 


'■m^m^i:^:m&m>i. 


■'i'<^^-'''Mf-:^-i-^'^ 


>/F 


